It turns out all that worrying was for nothing.
I wanted it to be a homerun, but I was starting to feel that maybe my expectations were unrealistic. M, his shtick gets worse with repeat viewings but I still like the film) and a trailer that featured way too much Johnny Knoxville I found myself lowering my expectations heading into the film’s release. I grew up on Arnold’s films and love Kim’s work so I was really excited when this project was first announced, but after Arnold’s groan inducing performance in EX2 (Mr. I saw THE LAST STAND and I am happy to report that it is an enjoyable R rated action film that does a nice job launching the old man phase of Arnie’s career and is a solid American debut for Korean director Kim Jee-woon. Well shit, I didn’t know about this thread or discussion but here is what I just posted in the EX2 thread about THE LAST STAND. Think it’s ridiculous to watch Arnold punch a guy at 65? Did you think it was ridiculous for him to push over that car in COMMANDO? Action movies are built on complete ridiculousness anyway, I don’t see how adding the factor of him being older somehow pushes them over the line. It might be a little silly for Arnold to play an Olympic gymnast, but THE LAST STAND is perfectly in line with the later careers of all those old guys who maybe can’t run quite as far as they used to, but make up for it by being smarter and tougher than ever. And for some reason we don’t think that anyone who looks older than 35 knows how to shoot a gun anymore. Nowadays, action movies mostly have a bunch of glum pretty boys who are still not that young (Jeremy Renner is 42, Jason Statham is 45) but tend to play youthful characters. They started choosing roles that were about machismo and grit. They didn’t get soft as they got old, they just got grizzled. What do all those guys have in common? They were all badass, hard-as-nails toughguys. All those guys went on to have long careers after that, each well into their 60s (obviously McQueen died young, but you and I both know he’d have been playing tough guys into his 70s had he lived). Steve McQueen was 42 in THE GETAWAY, 50 in THE HUNTER.
Eastwood was still making Dirty Harry films until he was 58. Charles Bronson didn’t star in a movie until he was almost 40, and was more than 50 before he did DEATH WISH. For God’s sake, time was MOST of our action stars were on the older side. So, nothing personal man, but in this particular case I think it’s ridiculous to be against aging action stars. I’m sorry because you’re a nice guy and you’re gonna take the brunt of my irritation at a whole phenomenon simple because you said it. OK and while I’m at it, Griff, I gotta call you out on complaining about old action stars.
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