Last Stand

Sheriff Owens: "I'm probably more afraid then you are right now."
Sarah: "Whoa... What? How can that be?"
Sheriff Owens: "Because I've seen enough blood and death. I know what's coming."

release year: 2013
genre: action
viewing setting: home Bluray 7/15/14 and 7/1/13 and theater, 1/18/13

synopsis: A drug lord is making a break for the U.S.-Mexico border, and the only thing that can stop him is the old sheriff of a small town in the way.

impressions: Since Arnold hadn't had a starring role for a decade, I felt that I had to go see this on opening night. All in all, it was fairly entertaining and delivered the goods. The plot was simple yet made sense, there was plenty of action and gunplay, plus a fair bit of humor. This can't stand with some of Arnold's classics from the 1980s and 1990s, but it gets the job done. No complaints here.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A flare fired at a guy wearing a bandolier of shotgun shells, resulting in instant obliteration of his top half.

verified body count: 30

acting: Arnold Schwarzenegger is 65, and he hasn't aged nearly as well as Sylvester Stallone (who's actually older, but looks a lot better.) I noticed that this film didn't have any shots that showed off his physique in any way, leading me to wonder if he still has one. Anyway, he did fine as an old, weary lawman who steps up to do what must be done. Johnny Knoxville is funny as a prankster who gets to help defend the town. Rodrigo Santoro, Jaimie Alexander, and Luis Guzman are others who also help. Eduardo Noriega is a bit flippant as the drug lord. Forest Whitaker is the head FBI agent, and spends most of his screen time looking worried and about to cry (a look he seems to have perfected over the years.)

final word: A good return to the spotlight for Arnold, but he's getting old.

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