Jason versus The Last Stand

Arnold said he'd be back, and the Austrian Oak told no lies. Welcome back, King of the Action Movie!

The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.

The Last Stand works on a lot of levels. Most importantly, it's a lot of fun. This is a breezy hour and 40 minutes of violent action, weird humour and surprising moments of drama. You read that last part right. There's drama in an action movie. Deal with it.

Not all of it is on Arnold Schwarzenegger's shoulders either. The Last Stand is as much an ensemble piece as it is a return to glory for Schwarzenegger. The moments when Ah-nold isn't on screen work just as well as when he is thanks to a strong supporting cast that includes Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman, Forest Whitaker and Peter Stormare. Director Jee-woon Kim has crafted a well-rounded flick, and it succeeds because of that.

But what about the big guy? Arnold is good here. He does all the cool action stuff we grew up watching and delivers the one liners we expect, but he also plays to his age. I hope the fact that The Last Stand didn't do well doesn't hurt Arnold's upcoming projects, because he has a real opportunity to pull a Clint Eastwood and deliver the kind of movie fans expect while exploring his legacy at the same time. This isn't Unforgiven, but I don't doubt Schwarzenegger has one in him.

First and foremost though, this is an 80s action movie dressed up as modern western. And it delivers on every level. I really dug The Last Stand, cry shame at the movie-going public that ignored it earlier this year, and intend to watch it again. A Good.

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