The Last Stand

Eine sympathische Besetzung in einem Action-Häppchen, das manchmal mit einer guten Idee überrascht und manchmal mit einem billigen Klischee enttäuscht. Arnold, große Waffen, sexy Mädels, ein schneller Sportwagen mit einer Verfolgung im Maisfeld usw. Ziemlich unterhaltsam und bestimmt besser, als der fade Trailer angedeutet hat. (22.01.2013)

Arnold portrays a character that would have very well suited John Wayne (a comparison with Rio Bravo is unavoidable). But whereas the Duke took building his own cult seriously, the former California governor exhibits a much better-developed sense of self-irony, which even pokes fun at the “untouchable” subject of patriotism. Schwarzenegger’s advanced age is a favoured target of the jokes in The Last Stand and the narrative is structured around the clashes between the slower world of the laid-back sheriff and the events of the action-packed world of national public enemies. Due to its having the nature of a comeback, The Last Stand is constructed as a return to genre traditions, so the old-school methods of the seasoned cop necessarily have a greater effect than the more modern techniques of the somewhat tardy FBI agents (though the sheriff also had to replace horses with Chevrolets for the purposes of product placement). The slightly overwrought screenplay uses most action B-movies clichés (angry emptying of clips, traitors in the ranks of the good guys) and fully utilises the fetishes that make the United States the United States (fast cars, high-power guns). However, the combination of western nostalgia and hyper-fast action works much less well here than in The Good, the Bad, the Weird. Probably because of the lower budget, the action scenes don’t go too overboard, the villain isn’t very distinctive and the film’s build-up is haphazard. All of the supporting characters merely clear space for Arnold, who – without exerting excessive effort – reaffirms his long-deserved place in the pantheon of great action heroes. Without him, this would be just a passable action flick shown on broadcast TV in which it probably wouldn’t occur to anyone to see an occasionally stimulating contribution to the discussion on the current wave of retro action movies. As with The Expendables, so with The Last Stand – whenever an action legend appears on the screen (only one such hero here, unfortunately), the entertainment value sharply increases. However, I am convinced that if Kim had had greater directorial leeway, this would have been a much more solid action movie in which the simply bad moments and the intentionally bad moments (in the mould of naïve actions flicks) would have been more easily distinguishable. As a new film starring Arnold, in the way we like him the most, The Last Stand is satisfying. As a new film by a South Korean master of many genres, it’s a bit of a disappointment. 65% (21.01.2013)

Three starts because, despite all its shortcomings (from my subjective perspective), the film was fun and didn’t make me want to turn it off. What’s hopeless, though, are its attempts at humour, and it’s sad to see that Arnold’s overacting has infected everyone around him (Stormare!!!). The final fight on the bridge is also a self-parody almost. But all that notwithstanding, I had pretty good fun. (25.04.2013)

To me, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a character that is associated with Saturday nights, when I was looking forward to another action flick in which Arnie never ever disappointed me. That was the way it worked when I was young, and I got so used to Arnold that to me, he became the greatest action hero. But then he stopped making movies, which made me really angry, only to return in 2013 with a mouthful of great lines. When the movie The Last Stand opened in cinemas, I tried to find the time to go see it. I eventually managed to find some time in the middle of the week, only to find out I was the only person in the movie theater, which made me pretty sad because in my opinion a star of Arnold’s caliber does not deserve that. And what makes the whole thing even sadder is that this is actually an absolutely honest self-reflection by Arnold, who pokes fun at himself and his career as governor. On top of that, you get a great story and you will fall in love with pretty much every character in that sleepy American country town. Anyways, I had one problem with the movie and that was the crazy and shaky camera operated by the director Ji-un Kim. It’s strange that a director who does not even speak English is now making a movie that marks the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger. All in all, he did a good job – it was a bit unusual, but you can get over that. It’s just I am not used to this kind of filmmaking is all. As regards Arnold himself, I didn’t believe that he would get back in such great shape, but he still did put in an absolutely amazing performance that kept me entertained throughout the entire movie and I am really glad that he is once again a part of Hollywood. Hopefully, he will keep stirring things up. By the way, when Arnie uttered the last line on emigrants to the USA, I realized that there are very few American-born actors in this movie. Was it on purpose? It may have been, but despite that it’s an absolutely honest movie that will keep you entertained for 107 minutes and that’s the main reason why you should watch it and give it a chance. Arnold is simply the man. (24.02.2013)

OK, lasst doch die Hauptfigur, welche sich irgendwo zwischen Wayne und Eastwood befindet, einen Mann mit starkem germanischen Akzent spielen, wobei dieser in emotional angespannten Szenen an einen Bulldozer erinnert, der versehentlich auf einer Fahrradmesse geparkt worden ist, und Witze darüber reißt, er sei ein Immigrant. Schmiert das ganze dann unter einen Soundtrack, der teilweise auf schwere Bassoffensiven abfährt, mal mit der Moderne kokettiert, manchmal zu (wahrscheinlich ironischerweise) auf die Klassik zurückgreift und recht oft bedient man sich da der Bohnen der Western-Vorfahren. Und das ganze soll dann ein Koreaner drehen, damit das es manchmal an einen Western angrenzt, manchmal einem Serienmist über Texas Rangers, manchmal einem 80er-Jahre-Actionfilm ähnelt, um dann wiederum modern anzumuten (ich habe immer noch nicht entschieden, ob die überdigitale Schnitte bei einigen Aktionen eine stilbildende Absicht in sich birgen oder nicht). Am wahrscheinlichsten entsteht dann ein Film, der am besten in jenen Segmenten funktioniert, wo niemand spielt bzw. spricht. Das Problem besteht darin, dass es lediglich sehr wenige dieser Segmente gibt und dass Arnie selbst im neuen Jahrtausend in Comic-/Dramatikszenen nicht besser daherkommt als in den goldenen Jahren - und es gibt in der Tat nur verflucht wenige verdammte Szenen, in denen eine sarkastische Botschaft bekämpfen kann. Der wesentliche Unterschied im Vergleich zu den achtziger Jahren besteht darin, dass keine großen Zuschauermassen hinströmen. Es ist schade, dass die letzten Expendables einen Weg aufgezeigt haben, wo diese alten sprichwörtlichen Panzer immer noch durchkommen. Es bedarf da lediglich mehr Überspitztheit, Selbstreflexion und weniger Versuche,“ einen Charakter darzubieten". Während des letzten kregerischen Dreschens auf der digitalen Brücke habe ich mich nicht entscheiden können, ob ich in Anbetracht des Anachronismus Freude oder ein wenig Bedauern empfinden sollte. Letzten Endes von beidem etwas. (07.02.2013)

Mein Actionheld (nicht nur) aus meiner Kindheit ist zurückgekehrt und ich kann mit großer Erleichterung feststellen, dass sein Comeback wirklich gelungen ist. Natürlich ist er nicht mehr die kühle, stahlharte Maschine aus der Zeit von Red Heat oder Commando, aber er ist immer noch cool und sympathisch. Der Charakter sprüht aus ihm genauso wie das blutige Gemetzel seiner Feinde, aus dem Maschinengewehr und der Schrotflinte schießt es wie in jungen Jahren, und dabei vergisst er nicht, mit seinen spitzen Bemerkungen die Zähne zu fletschen. Der Film geht stark in Richtung Action-Western, außerdem hat er einen tollen Rhythmus, es passiert ständig etwas, die Besetzung ist mehr als luxuriös (Stormare, Whitaker und auch für Stanton fand sich ein Plätzchen) und dieser geschmierte Apparat wird von einem visuellen Magier aus Korea dirigiert. Das Finale wird sicherlich alle Arnie-Fans erfreuen. Ansonsten ist die Verfolgungsjagd im Maisfeld gut, aber sie übertrifft nicht den bisherigen Shooter. (80%) (23.04.2013)

If I had seen this movie ten years ago, I would have probably peed myself for sheer joy. I like great sports cars, slinky girls and mainly Arnold! I gained a couple more wrinkles on my face (but fewer than the Austrian oak, it must be said) and I want a few more. But it’s still more than just good fun and in some places it holds some very pleasant surprises. One definite asset is Jee-woon Kim, who squeezes the maximum out of it, with half an eye on old westerns, he is properly bloodthirsty and tries not to take the beaten track, but when he has to, he shows off about it. In terms of acting, this is the inoffensive standard playing supporting roles for old man Arnold who is exactly the way we like him best. Luckily, Knoxville doesn’t bother us much. There are a couple of really effective scenes that pull The Last Stand up to above average, the best of which is the ingenious chase through the corn field. Mainly, Arnold is back with all the trimmings, it’s a shame that more people aren’t visiting the theaters to greet him. (13.02.2013)

The people behind this film fortunately quickly realized that this won't be another Terminator 2 and that it won't work "directly" with Arnold anymore, so they went about it cleverly. Thanks to skillful editing and camera work, the main protagonist is quite watchable, although many other things here are downright hopeless. An awfully boring and generic villain, inconsistent action (excellently edited shots intertwine with horribly confusing and chaotic ones), uneven pace, average one-liners. Sometimes I felt a brackish feeling. Yes, self-parody doesn't hurt (sometimes there is nothing else left) and it's still quite alright, but don't expect anything groundbreaking. It's not in any way progressive or clever from a creative standpoint. Just an average action movie with a few very interesting chases in a cornfield. (26.03.2013)

Ein ausgezeichneter moderner Western, der absolut alles hat, was er haben sollte. Plus Arnold Schwarzenegger. Die Actionszenen sind einfallsreich und übersichtlich, die Schauspielbesetzung richtig toll (man sieht, dass Peter Stormare seine Rolle genossen hat). Das Drehbuch arbeitet mit einer nostalgischen Stimmung. Die Drehbuchautoren konnten es sich – dank einer großzügigen Portion Humor – leisten, abgedroschene Klischees zu nutzen, ohne dass es dem Publikum auf die Nerven geht. Arnold ist in der Rolle des kompromisslosen Sheriffs, der sich einem geflüchteten Gauner in den Weg stellt, einfach herrlich. Es hat keinen Sinn, seine Schauspielerei zu kritisieren – er ist immer noch der coole Typ, bei dem es genügt, dass er nur einen Satz sagt, einen entschlossenen Blick wirft, das ganze Magazin leerballert und alles mit einem witzigen Spruch krönt. The Last Stand ist unterhaltsam (eine wirklich lange Schießerei, die durch witzige Momente aller Art entspannt wird), The Last Stand ist spannend (der erste Zusammenstoß mit Stormares Bande),The Last Stand ist atemberaubend (die Verfolgungsjagd im Maisfeld hat mich wirklich umgehauen), The Last Stand ist viel besser als The Expendables 2 und er braucht dafür überraschend wenig (das Finale auf der Brücke). (15.02.2013)

The classic comes alive, maybe not to the same extent as in the hyped-up The Expendables, but enough to bring a heady and warm feeling to the heart of action fans with its pure character (lots of catchphrases, big guns, bad guys and fast cars) and straightforwardness. It's been a long time since I've watched an action film with such a likeable cast and such a great balance of humour, which can often outshine a cheesy cliché or logic hole. Of course, looming over it all is the great Schwarzenegger, a huge star who only needs to appear on screen and throw one of his trademark glances, something he still manages with absolute bravado. Stormare is fine as the bad guy, Whitaker was not a happy choice and Knoxville with his permanently open mouth has to be endured. But when I think of The Last Stand with the benefit of hindsight, all I can recall is a far-fetched and incredibly stupid B-movie, the kind we have seen in the hundreds, but this, believe me, can not completely refute any of the aforementioned positives. 65% (02.07.2013)

Jee-woon Kim's ability to make the viewer tolerate unbelievable plot twists and WTF characters and their motivations lies in creating a fictional micro-universe that, if you embrace it, gave you the experience the director wanted you to have. The Last Stand may have had all the makings to follow its predecessors in this, but somehow it all got screwed up. The FBI command room destroys the illusion of the fatalistic isolation of the heroes, the governor is an extremely inept actor (one you'd almost forget), and no one has drilled into the director's head enough that there's a marked difference between making a movie in Korea and the US. That's why some of the action scenes look pretty lame, even as the camera whizzes past on a crane when the characters are just standing around and talking. As a result, The Last Stand doesn't so much resuscitate Arnold's career, but the era of 90s B-movies with Van Damme, where main street stands in for an entire city, the supporting characters shoot the bad guys with one hand, fall in love with each other with the other, and the heroes don't give their honor away for free. I don't blame the director, though. Given that he still didn't know a word of English during filming, the blame clearly lies with his translator. (11.02.2013)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has aged and it's really noticeable on him. Even "Expendables 2" showed that the years have taken a toll on him. After all, he will be sixty-two this year, and that should show on a man. The pleasant thing is that he doesn't really care about it. On the contrary, he uses this state of his to make fun of himself in movies. I mean, if he does it in another film, it might stop being funny, but "Konečná" works perfectly in that regard. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/konecna-2013-85.html (22.03.2013)

If I didn't worry too much and turned off my brain, I could watch this action movie. Actually, I was expecting a lot more trouble. For Arnie's last line, which really amused me, I add an extra star. (50%) (15.08.2022)

Well, I ended up giving it 3 stars, but I was tempted to give 4. It's just that it isn't so extraordinary in hindsight. The beginning looks surprisingly interesting and there’s quite a lot of action, but those are just occasional flashes of light, otherwise it's an average piece of crap relying on the cast led by Arnold. But absolutely no one from the entire cast does any actual acting. Arnold’s break from acting is more than obvious, so he’s trying to save his performance the usual way, through one-liners. But it’s not exactly a success on that front either. Some of the lines are funny, some are downright pathetic, and the mediocre screenplay is not doing the movie any favors. When the ending comes after more than an hour, you expect some spectacular action, as is usually the case in movies with Arnold. What you get is something that nobody in their right mind would film and the final battle can only be regarded as a parody. All things considered, 3 stars are more than enough. (30.04.2013)