The Last StandMovie Reviews

So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 54 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's a crackerjack B movie worthy of comparison to such stylishly low-down, smart-meets-dumb, hyper-violent entertainments as the 1997 Kurt Russell thriller "Breakdown," Clint Eastwood's infamous police bloodbath "The Gauntlet," John Carpenter's original "Assault on Precinct 13," and Arnold's own overlooked 1986 outing "Raw Deal." Read full review

  • 88
    Slant Magazine | Calum Marsh

    One of its most refreshing aspects is its acceptance of both western and action-film conventions on their own terms, refusing to regard itself as operating outside of or superior to the genre. Read full review

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    The movie comes up with a couple of tender moments that could pass for human, and a mano-a-mano climax in which the superhero of yore, the glint in his eye dulled but not extinguished, functions as a weirdly touching tyrannosaurus. Read full review

  • 60
    Movieline |

    Is it a coincidence that classic action is making its comeback at the same time Schwarzenegger is making his own? Hey, he warned us he'd be back. Read full review

  • 60
    NPR |

    The director does pull off a pretty magnificent cornfield car chase - two sleek vehicles cut through a thick, shaggy carpet of maize like souped-up harvesters, the movie's way of saying that the simple country life needn't be devoid of thrills. But Jee-woon takes too long to wrap things up, fumbling repeatedly on his way to an ending. Read full review

  • 50
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Almost certainly, The Last Stand will not be Schwarzenegger's last. For better or for worse (and this is somewhere right in the middle), he is back. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Tom Russo

    Kim doesn't sweat interweaving his story threads in any tightly controlled way. Just when the need-for-speed stuff really starts to gain traction, he'll shift for a surprisingly lengthy stretch to comic relief with the deputies and local wacko Johnny Knoxville. Read full review

  • 40
    The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy

    Not the worst but is very far from the best film the star has made in his career. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    The script is a mess, built on lazy clichés, stilted jokes and easy payoffs. What the movie does have, though, is enthusiasm. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The movie equivalent of an idiot who, to avoid scorn, starts acting like an even bigger idiot, so as to get in on the joke, too...It takes everything and nothing seriously, depending on what the filmmakers think they can get away with at any given moment, and the result, while not painful to watch, is ridiculous. Read full review

View more reviews for The Last Stand on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Arnie's lawman vs. outlaw action tale gets pretty bloody.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Last Stand is an old-school action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. There's a high body count and lots of bloody violence (shootings, explosions that lead to strewn limbs, etc.), as well as frequent strong language ("motherf---er," "a--hole," "bitch," etc.), but no sexuality beyond a couple of kisses. Families concerned with consumerism should note that the film features plenty of Chevy vehicles and references to a particular very expensive Corvette. Ultimately, despite the movie's violence, at its core it has a decent message about protecting your home, your friends, and your town.
  • Families can talk about the amount of violence in The Last Stand. If it had been slightly less bloody, do you think that would have changed the impact? Did some of the deaths seem gratuitous, or were they necessary to the plot?
  • How is The Last Stand a classic example of the "lawman vs. outlaw" genre? Was there any doubt who would win in the end? Does it make the movie less enjoyable if you know the action star is bound to get the bad guy?
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger makes several jokes about being old. Do you think he's past his prime as an action star, or does the "old man" still have decent moves?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The Last Stand's overwhelming message (amid lots and lots of action violence) is that even a small group of people can make a big difference. The sheriff and four deputies manage to defeat a criminal druglord who's outsmarted the FBI. The movie also espouses the military ideals that you never leave one of your own, that you don't let your fellow soldiers die in vain, and that, even if you're outnumbered, it's your duty to defend your home and your people.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Sheriff Owens is completely devoted to his town. He goes beyond the scope of his job (albeit in a sometimes violent way) to help the FBI stop a murderous drug cartel kingpin from escaping U.S. borders. His deputies sacrifice their time -- and, in one case, their life -- for the cause. There are clear lines between "good guys" and "bad guys."
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: There's a high body count, and people die in all sorts of ways. Being shot is the most common (some at close range, with blood spurting out of the bodies), but others are blown apart (limbs are strewn around), thrown off the side of a building, crashed into, etc. The sheriff and the prisoner get into a prolonged hand-to-hand fight that's bloody but not deadly.
  • sex false2 Sexy stuff: Two passionate kisses: one between the escaped prisoner and his hostage and the other between exes who reconcile. In one scene, a criminal remarks on a female character's body and says he would "kill for that ass" as he points a gun at her.
  • language false4 Language: Frequent but not constant use of words including "motherf---er," "f--k," "a--hole," "bitch," "s--t," "d--k," "hell," "ass," "damn," and more. Exclamations like "Jesus Christ!" and "goddammit!" are also used.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: The escaped prisoner drives in a customized Chevy Corvette ZR1, and parts of the movie seem like a commercial for the performance sports car (which costs more than $100,000). And, later on, the sheriff saves the day in the mayor's Chevy Camaro; he also has a Chevy truck, and the government agents drive in Suburbans. The main character wears a Timberland fleece in one scene.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: An adult character is shown drinking beer in one scene, and another man is locked up for drunken and disorderly conduct (but he's sobered up by the time he's introduced).
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