The Last Stand
Kim Ji Woon
The story: Drug lord Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) makes a daring escape from custody and speeds towards Mexico in a Chevrolet. The only thing standing between him and freedom is Sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his motley crew comprising cops (Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman), a former Marine (Rodrigo Santoro) and a vintage arms collector (Johnny Knoxville).

A Korean director taking on a genre as quintessentially American as the western, with an Austrian-born actor in the lead role, is a big multi-cultural gamble.
But if anyone can do it, it would be Kim Ji Woon. After taking a shot at the genre in 2008 with the Korean-language The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008), he ups the stakes in his American directorial debut – and he succeeds in delivering an entertaining action film with a healthy dose of humour.
The script by newcomer Andrew Knauer smartly plays off Arnold Schwarzenegger’s celluloid tough-guy persona and the fact that he is getting on in age. The one-time champion bodybuilder is now 65 and his last lead role was sci-fi action flick Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003).
When his character, the sheriff of sleepy border town Sommerton, examines a corpse, he has to put on a pair of glasses. And asked how he is at one point, he responds: “Old.”
There is also a delicious line that foreshadows what is to come as he says ominously: “I saw enough blood and death... I know what’s coming.”
Schwarzenegger has, of course, seen plenty of blood and death in his career as an action hero from Conan The Barbarian (1982) to Collateral Damage (2002).
Apart from mucho macho action, what makes an Arnie flick an Arnie flick are also quotable quotes such as “I’ll be back” from The Terminator (1984). Contenders here include “You make us immigrants look bad” and “You f***** up my day off”.
In addition to making good use of his ageing star, Kim is also adept at pacing. He contrasts a tense and quiet scene with a burst of action, effectively building up tension and then releasing it.
The supporting characters are easily recognisable types, from Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, 2002) as a goofy arms collector and Luis Guzman (Boogie Nights, 1997) as a seemingly cowardly deputy to Peter Stormare (Fargo, 1996) as a ruthless henchman.
They are well-sketched enough that even the early death of a minor character means something.
The final showdown between Ray and Gabriel starts with a beautifully lensed car chase through golden corn fields and ends with man-to-man fisticuffs.
Off-screen, Schwarzenegger’s image took a beating after his infidelity scandal but on-screen, he can still be persuasive as a man of honour holding down the fort.
(ST)