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Directed by: Walter Hill Starring: Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken Albeit a throwaway action release vehicle starring Bruce Willis as an unnamed gunman (unless you really think he's named John Smith), Last Man Standing chronicles the weeklong exploits of a loner who drives into town and makes the mistake of gazing a second too long at a mob boss' Mexican mistress, prompting the early demolition of his car by a cadre of mob grunts. After wandering into a bar for some Tennessee pick-me-up, Smith learns the score: Two rival mobs control this dusty town, each with enough men and firepower to demolish any local resistance and effectively wage a bloody, prolonged war against each other. Smith, in his infinite wisdom (and some would say, lack of motivation) concludes that his best course of action is to first blow away the goons responsible for demolishing his car, then sticking around to hire himself out to the highest bidder, switching alliances when it suits him and playing each mob off of the other to the point where they are engaged in open war, bodies and blood flooding the streets. Directly lifted from Kurosawa's Yojimbo (strangely enough, this was the film that made me interested in Kurosawa), Bruce Willis perfectly embodies the emotionless and mysterious John Smith, who trades in katanas for 1911's and boxes upon boxes of ammunition. His motivations are as masked as his acting, which can best be described as wooden and unemotional, which is perfect for this movie where the real acting comes from the paranoid, quirky, and over-the-top mob bosses, bartender, sheriff and undertaker (the latter a silent role, and the only man in town whose business is booming and is more than satisfied with whatever outcome Smith can lift from this mess). Christopher Walken appears later in the movie as (surprise surprise) another gunman, a rather sadistic and vengeful fellow whose background story is as mesmerizing (albeit short and cliched) as the example he makes of a turncoat Mexican general. The supporting characters, ranging from the mob bosses themselves to the previously mentioned bartender, sheriff and undertaker, are all one- or two-dimensional charicatures, but it works and helps convey the setting and feel of a dusty American town devoid of hope and full of dejected lost souls. Now, film purists might remark about the unnecessary posting of a remake when the original source material (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1038803&highlight=yojimbo) is available and far superior. Indeed, some of my fellow film school chums have chastized me for liking a remake as much as the original. However, setting aside the sentimental value of this movie, I think it's a fine example of an action movie that slowly weaves a simple story and explodes into a storm of bullets, and neatly wraps itself up at the end. A good rental for the typical moviegoer, and who knows? Some of you may want to end up buying it. 4.5/5. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Blistering, hardcore action scenes, dusty, bleak western-like setting, perfect Prohibition-era embodiment of Feudal Japan, and Christopher Walken CONS: Lack of complex characters, dual-wielded .45s can get tiring after a while (debateable), little emotional impact ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116830/
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May 15, 2004 18:41
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:44 |
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Yojimbo was better, but this is still my favorite Bruce Willis movie. The gunfights are some of the best in action movie history. I also think it's cool how John Smith is the only one that uses the newest (for the setting) guns, and everyone else uses revolvers and "outdated" weaponry. Also, it's so colorless it almost seems like it was filmed in black and white. This is just such a cool movie. 5/5
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May 21, 2004 00:06
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Wasn't this based more on A Fistfull of Dollars than Yojimbo? I never knew Fistfull of Dollars was an adaptation of Yojimbo, but I kind of suspected the plot couldn't have been that new when Sergio Leone made it. I just rented Fistfull and realized I had seen this exact plot before, and recognized it from Last Man Standing. And as the movie went on, I realized I liked Last Man Standing more. I don't know why. Clint Eastwood did a much better job as The Man With No Name. Last Man Standing just had more badass action. 3.5
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May 21, 2004 21:17
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quote:Mr. Stingly came out of the closet to say: anyways, i have to say that i personally think Yojimbo and a Fistful of Dollars are superior, mostly because the notions of a masterless samurai and/or a roving gunslinger seem a little better for this kind of story than a Prohibition-era gunman. but that said, this film is by no means bad or unenjoyable. it just pales in comparison when i watch it. 4.
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May 22, 2004 05:57
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