Fans Agree The Last Stand Is A Solid Action Film, But Nothing Special
Even with the onslaught of action movies throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, "The Last Stand" remains one of the biggest cinematic anomalies to date. Directed by South Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an LAPD officer who moves to Arizona and becomes a sheriff dedicatd to fighting crime on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The plot revolves around Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), an international drug lord and racecar driver — yes, you read that right — attempting to flee the United States in a souped-up Corvette. He manages to outmaneuver the FBI, speeding toward the Mexican border, where Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) and his ragtag group of deputies are the last things standing between Cortez and freedom. To make the movie even wilder, Johnny Knoxville joins Schwarzenegger in his return to action cinema, making for the most unlikely of duos.
Years after its release, though, audiences don't think "The Last Stand" is anything special, making it an average film amongst Schwarzenegger's best. On Reddit, u/bartforhire13 wrote that the movie was "a lot of fun," praising its action scenes, and while most fans agreed, that was pretty much the only redeeming quality of "The Last Stand."
Fans agree that Hollywood should invest in more R-rated action movies
"The Last Stand" marked Arnold Schwarzenegger's true return to the industry after his time as governor of California, making it his first major movie appearance (aside from joining the ensemble cast of "The Expendables") since 2003's "Terminator 3." Fans agree that, while it isn't anything groundbreaking, it could have been much worse. Redditor u/Kingy7777 wrote, "[The Last Stand] isn't a masterpiece or even a top tier action movie like 'The Raid' or 'John Wick,' but it's a solid R-rated action movie that doesn't have sci-fi or other genre elements." A now-deleted user agreed, saying although the plot is basic, it's "the best movie that Arnold has done since he returned to acting."
Meanwhile, u/kiusagi pointed out that it's a shame "The Last Stand" bombed at the box office, saying that, on top of its action, "the character development was actually quite good for an action movie," with many of the supporting actors given "just enough to do." On the other hand, u/yettibeats took issue with Johnny Knoxville's casting, wishing an actor more versed in comedic improvisation had gotten his part.
While "The Last Stand" hits some high notes, audiences think it's far from director Kim Jee-woon's best. Redditor u/saj175 said the movie was "decent," but they "prefer the director's previous movies." That sentiment was shared by u/ithinkther41am, who said "The Last Stand" left them a bit disappointed after seeing Jee-woon's other film, "The Good, the Bad, the Weird."