When Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered the words Ill be back in the classic action flick, The Terminator, he wasnt kidding.
With a decade of politics, scandal and no movies to show, The Governator has officially returned in his recently released movie, The Last Stand. True to its title, the plot of the movie revolves around Schwarzenegger’s character, a former LAPD Narcotics Officer, taking up a very slow and boring existence as the sheriff of a small border town in Arizona. That is, of course, until a cartel leader manages to break out of custody and decides to make a run for Mexico through none other than Schwarzenegger’s town. Of course, being Arnold, the sheriff doesnt let the criminal blow through his town without a fight.
The plot of The Last Stand is typical action movie fare. Despite this, it still manages to be entertaining..Arnold Schwarzenegger proves once and for all that he is still the undisputed king of hilariously cheesy one-liners. Much like last year’s The Expendables 2, The Last Stand’s gun fights are nostalgic of Schwarzeneggers glory days back in the 80s. The action scenes are brutal, violent and fast-paced typical of a Schwarzenegger movie.
The line treading between action and comedy is the real place this movie shines. Everyone knows Schwarzenegger for being overly stoic with a somewhat robotic quality to the point of hilarity, and his 10-year absence from acting definitely has not changed any of that.
The presence of Johnny Knoxville was also a welcomed surprise. The former Jackass star brought plenty of laughs with his antics as a borderline-insane antique firearms collector, one of which includes a not-so-subtle reference to Knoxville’s most famous work from the show. While not exactly funny, Forest Whitaker wasn’t bad. But the acting highlight of this movie would definitely have to go to Johnny Knoxville since, well, Schwarzenegger isn’t exactly known for giving stellar performances.
The Last Stand is not a movie anyone should go into with high expectations. Then again, the same can be said for the majority of action movies that are released these days. However, the formulaic plot and familiar direction this movie takes actually make it something of a breath of fresh air; especially after almost a decade lacking testosterone and manly muscle in Hollywood action movies.
With Schwarzenegger back on the screen, those days are over. He is an old and familiar face for the most part, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We go to the movies to be entertained, and Schwarzenegger is a classic. And to quote the movie itself, “you can’t beat a classic.”