The Last Stand 
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Luis Guzmán, Jaimie Alexander, Zach Gilford, Rodrigo Santoro, Genesis Rodriguez, Eduardo Noriega, Pete Stormare
Directed by Jee-won Kim
Rated: R
Run Time: 107 mins
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Opens January 18th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film Fans! This week we checked out the latest Arnold Schwarzenegger film, “The Last Stand” directed by Jee-woon Kim. This is Schwarzenegger’s first leading film since 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”, so the question beckons, Does the Governator still have what it takes to be an action hero?
When third generation Mexican Drug Cartel leader Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) manages to escape a highly guarded prison transfer under FBI Custody, a massive manhunt begins all before sunrise. FBI Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) is the lead agent in charge of the transfer gone wrong, and when one of his own agents, Agent Ellen Richards is kidnapped by Cortez, he vows to find the fugitive and make him pay dearly. The hunt starts off in Las Vegas where Cortez’s get away vehicle is a truly impressive, supped up Corvette ZR1 with speeds capable of traveling up to 250 miles per hour. Every blockade Cortez has been able to blow through, evading the authorities at every attempt at capture. Bannister’s team figures that they have less than 4 hours before Cortez reaches the US/ Mexican boarder. If they are unsuccessful in arresting Cortez, the consequences may be deadly. They managed to narrow down the escape route to two small Arizona towns,one of them being Sommerton Junction.
Twenty four hours earlier, on his day off, sheriff of Sommerton Junction, Sherrif Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has planned out a relaxing day. Plans changed when he notices two men in the main street diner and his super-Spidey lawman senses kicked in, and questions one of the men, Burell (Pete Stormare) about their rig parked out on the street. The two men leave quickly, so he gets his deputies to run the plates of the truck. When the plates come back clean, Sherriff Owens goes on with his day but still seems unsettled with the encounter with the men from the diner. His fears are confirmed hours later when he receives an early morning wake up call from the FBI warning of a fugitive heading towards the border. Cortez’s men have been working in his escape route on the outskirts of Sommerton and have eliminated anyone that tried to get in the way. Unable to rely on the feds for any help, Sherriff Owens along with a few of his deputies take matters into their own hands to defend their town, and their oath to serve and protect.
Although it’s been 10 years since Schwarzenegger has starred in a leading role, he can still bring the entertainment factor in his old age. This film knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies for the corny dialogue, over-acting and gratuitous violence that helped make Schwarzenegger famous in the 1980’s & 1990’s. The bright spots of the film are the supporting characters which help alleviate the action scenes from landing squarely on Schwarzenegger’s shoulders. The cinematography of the car chase scenes are quite impressive as are the cars used in the film. This is a pure adrenaline, throwback action film that shows that Arnold can still bring it even though he’s “getting too old for this”. Check out “The Last Stand” when it opens in theaters starting Friday January 18, 2012.
