The Last Stand
Lionsgate | Release Date: January 18, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
16
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJan 18, 2013
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 MagazineCalum MarshJan 15, 2013
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
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfJan 18, 2013
There's savvy in Schwarzenegger's understanding of his appeal. Always foreign yet weirdly Americanized in our dreams, the big guy is a craggy monument in need of a countryside. He's back in the place that deserves him. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 23, 2013
The Last Stand marks the American debut of the Korean director Jee-woon Kim, who delivers a half-dozen quality kills that will leave audiences squirming and then laughing at the sheer audacity of it all. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenJan 17, 2013
Dig just a shade beneath the surface, trade in the text for the subtext, and a more interesting picture emerges – a little richer, sadder, almost poignant. Arnie is back again, yet now, as a storied immigrant nearing the end of his tale, he's become an odd sight to behold. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasJan 17, 2013
It's a struggle at times, mostly because the action-movie clichés haven't been weeded out of the script, but the film is cheerfully, irresistibly destructive - an old-fashioned, "Rio Bravo" shoot-'em-up with the hicktown spirit of "Tremors," though it isn't as good as either. Read full review
70
TimeRichard CorlissJan 21, 2013
It's an enjoyably old-fashioned shoot-out, if you can shake off the current headlines and sink in to a fantasy of hyper-violence that plays like an NRA vision of America the Beautiful. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 18, 2013
If that sounds like Schwarzenegger might actually be called on to act this time, you're right. And to his credit, this is the loosest the guy's been in ages. His amiable banter rarely feels forced, and even the obligatory jokes about his age feel genuine. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJan 17, 2013
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
70
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenJan 17, 2013
Johnny Knoxville offers comic relief as the goofball proprietor of a back-road gun museum, which conveniently allows for an odd assortment of weapons to be used in the climactic battle. It's that kind of movie. Read full review
70
Village VoiceScott FoundasJan 17, 2013
Kim finally lets loose, and the imaginatively choreographed mayhem that ensues - culminating in two fast cars chasing each other across a pesky cornfield - can be a wonder to behold. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleLouis BlackJan 16, 2013
Despite his acknowledged age, creaking bones, and reduced nerve, Schwarzenegger still delivers quite a performance in this fun, straight-ahead action film. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 17, 2013
The film, directed by South Korean Jee-woon Kim, hits all the necessary action beats and effectively blends in the humor. Read full review
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