The Last Stand

In his first major screen role since he left California politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger gives hardcore fans what they want: a few amusing quips and oodles of heroic action, including hand-to-hand combat, prolonged car chases, and blasting, bullet-riddled showdowns. After an illustrious stint as an LAPD narcotics detective, Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) is now the taciturn, mild-mannered sheriff of sleepy Sommerton Junction, a small Arizona border town that turns out to be the escape route chosen by fugitive Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), an arrogantly diabolical, third-generation Mexican drug kingpin. While U.S. authorities, led by Federal Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker), are in hot pursuit from Las Vegas, Cortez is zipping along through the sun-drenched desert badlands, bursting through blockades at more than 200 mph in a souped-up Corvette ZR1 with a female FBI agent (Genesis Rodriguez) as hostage. Meanwhile, Cortez's ruthless henchman (Peter Stormare) has gunned down an old farmer (unbilled Harry Dean Stanton) who protested the secret construction of a canyon bridge on his property. So it's up to Owens and his makeshift assortment of deputies (including Jackass star Johnny Knoxville) to apprehend the culprit. Directed by Kim Jee-woon, The Last Stand is standard Hollywood mindless mayhem that is likely to appeal to fans of the still-muscular, 65-year-old former Governator. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Not in My Town” making-of featurette (28 min.), extended scenes (14 min.), the production featurettes “Cornfield Chaos” (12 min.), “The Dinkum Firearm and Historic Weaponry Museum Tour” (12 min.), and “Action-Cam Anarchy” with costars Johnny Knoxville and Jaimie Alexander (11 min.), deleted scenes (8 min.), trailers, and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a run-of-the-mill action film.] (S. Granger)