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Willis, Walken, what more is there to say?

Willis, Walken, Guns, Blood, Action, what more is there to say? For get some stupid old Japaneese movie, if you are an American and like real classics like "Die Hard", "The Last Boy Scout", then don't miss this movie. It's heck of alot better than that junk "Yojimbo", I have to say, that is the most stupid movie title I've ever heard in my life! I couldn't sit through the whole thing. This film is a masterpeice, turn ya brian off and enjoy a good action movie. a movie only a guy could love!

Badass.

This is one of BRUCE WILLIS' best films. An opera of wicked gunplay highlights this retooling of the classic story of YOJIMBO. A great cross between the western and gangster generes that really gets the blood pumping. It's great when filmmakers can show a character that is out for no one but themselves but so damn cool you just have to root for them. WILLIS is great and delivers lines like "I was born without a conscience" with believeable tough guy conviction. Some expertly crafted shoot- outs courtesy of fraymaster WALTER HILL, who knows how to make an action movie that is gritty and mature. Great DVD package that offers great sound (crank the surround during the gun battles for best effect) and picture quality. Great flick.

Ridiculous! Silly! Awful! It's ALL WRONG!!

The whole premise of this film is ludicrous: A group of gangsters take over (get this) a desert ghost town.

What for? Have they all had lobotomies?

What could the gangsters possibly want, or derive from a desert ghost town? Sex? Power? Money? Drugs?

Answer: None of the above. There's no point to their existence in this movie, except maybe to set up a scene where tough guys Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis snarl at each other. Rather than contain much substance, the whole movie is one establishing shot after another.

The film probably would have worked if the gangsters shot up and burned the town to get out of it and move to someplace better, like New York or Chicago, where there were plenty of dames, booze and money to keep them occupied. Unfortunately, that's not what the storyboard called for. As written, the gangster characters in "Last Man Standing" were apparently too dimwitted to appreciate those finer cultural aspects of the gangster lifestyle.

Yohimbo? It didn't even come close. "Last Man Standing" is yet but another floating object in the toilet bowl of modern "B" movies.

Hicky:"Maybe you're the type of guy that would shoot an unarmed man back?" Smith: "I've done worse than that."

Akira Kurosawa's classic film Yojimbo gets a face lift and remade in this 1930's mafia shoot'em up film with some heavy hitting actors to head it. Bruce Willis is the man with no name, simply put as "John Smith", Bruce Dern as the corrupt sheriff and Christopher Walken as the notorious psycho "Hicky". Two rival gangs battle it out for control of the booze trade between Mexico and the states, Smith passes through to stir things up, make some money and run. He makes a fast reputation for himself with his pair of 45 autos killing the bad guys and playing both sides. The plot thickens and before he can keep up with it, he finds himself in a tight spot, where in the end...it can only end one way. This is a fantastic adaptation of the Japanese classic changed and boiled down to its basics; creepy, crazy characters, a great story line and lets not forget...some pretty sweet shoot outs in place of Samurai Sword duels. Last Man Standing by far is a superior film to such box office film flops as: Shoot'em Up, Smok'in Aces and Crank. Those films are complete garbage compared to Last Man Standing, plus you get to see three great actors together on screen. I'm torn between Bruce Dern and Christopher Walken myself, both favorites of mine and play great characters. This is also one of Bruce Willis's best action films aside from his Die Hard franchise. It's a non stop action film noir at its best and well worth watching as well as owning.

Last Man Standing - Last Viewer Awake more like!

Although I saw this in the cinema several years ago when it first came out, I feel compelled to add my comments now, because this is the undisputed worst film I have ever seen.It has a legendary status among people I know, because a row of eight of us who went to see it were all asleep at one point.I never thought someone could make a 'blockbuster' with a big name star that still managed to be brain-numbingly boring, but Last Man Standing achieves it with ease.Instantly forgettable characters, a one dimensional linear and at times non existant plot, and absolutely nothing redeeming to keep the viewer interested in where the film's going.If I wasn't so comfortable in the cinema chair drifting into a semi-sleep, this would have been one film I would have had no qualms about walking out of very early on. Perhaps it's sleep inducing properties are referred to in its title.Message to the writer and director. If Bruce Willis has such ridiculously perfect aim and gun control, even when in the throes of making love, it gets a bit boring. There's no excitement in it.If Bruce Willis had just lined the whole cast up before the opening titles and shot the lot of them it would have saved a bit of time and wouldn't really have missed much from the plot.I've never seen the trailer to this film, but even that would be too long to be worth watching.The worst thing about it? Unlike other shockingly bad films like Spawn, Bone Collector and Hollow Man, it doesn't even afford the viewer the chance to laugh at how bad the film, the dialogue, the acting and the plot are, because it's just too boring for words.One out of ten, and that's being generous!

John Smith, a hired gun, stumbles on a law-less western town run by two gangs who fight over his services.

This movie is a very interesting combination of Film Noir and Western. The noir elements include wardrobe, use of shadows voice-overs, a "femme-fatale", a cynical protagonist ....the list goes on and on. On the other hand, the setting is a typical western ghost town with a stranger who shows up out of no where to clean it up of all the crime and immorality. This film even makes references to classic westerns. For example, there is a scene in which John Smith (Bruce Willis) is balancing himself on a chair outside of a bar. This had to be a re-enactment of a famous scene in "My Darling Clementine" where Wyatt Earp, a new Marshall in town confidently sways back in forth in a town full of enemies.This film also has it's share of testosterone pumping action. The contrast of tommy guns in an old western town is pretty interesting. The cinematography and directing in this film are not outstanding, but I have no complaints. I would only recommend this film to those who are familiar with the basic element of a western and film noir. I took a course in high school on those two genres so I really enjoyed watching how they were conglomerated into one film. I talked to a few action buffs about this film and they said that they could not sit through the whole thing even though it's less than two hours long. I, for one, would put it on my top ten list.

Clint Eastwood, where are you now?

Am I the only one that thought this was a (bad) remake of 'A Fistful Of Dollars'?The whole plot was a complete rip-off of the original Eastwood movie. Sadly, most of the acting was wooden. The whole thing relied upon implausible scenes of violence and off-the-shelf characterisation. Bruce Dern's homage to Chester (Gunsmoke) was not worthy of either of them. And as for Christopher Walken's psychopathic Hickey - he would probably have been more scary as an ice cream salesman.All in all, a bit of a disappointing movie.And where did Bruce Willis get all those bullets?

I LOVE IT SO MUCH I WANTED TO GO OUT AND SHOOT SOMEBODY TOO

In this movie, one of Willis' best, he kicks a$$!! It was one of the best movies I had ever seen!! the time or age was perfectly fitted for the movie. Great actors, and great script!!!

It's an Ok movie..but a poor remake of a classic..

The movie isn't too bad (It's an OK movie) but compared to "Yojimbo", the movie on which Last Man Standing was based, it pales in comparison. If you must buy this movie make sure to also pick up "Yojimbo"... Just my two cents.

A Rodriguez style gangster-western

Didn't quite know what to expect when I picked this one up at the store for $5. Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken in a Western set in 1930's prohibition? (you may think that is a gangster film, but trust me, watching this, it's not.) Anyways, I was forced to ask myself the question "if this film's so good why's it being sold so cheap?" Well I'm not one to shun a film just cus it's got a low low price, hell I picked up Street Fighter (the original Chiba one) for just a dollar. So I figured I might as well check it out see if it's really worth it.Well it was. I'm not too familiar with Walter Hill, but he does a fine job in this film showing Bruce Willis blasting away at the bad guys. Watching it I'm reminded of a watered down Desperado. This whole film seems like a Robert Rodriguez film without the Robert Rodriguez attitude. And while that is missed, especially in the screenplay, it's still got some wonderful shootouts in it.Based off the same story Sergio Leone's Fistfull of Dollars takes it's plot from, you'll notice many similarities between the two. In fact, you could even see this as a re-make of Fistfull of Dollars if you wanted to, but not in a bad way. To give a fair analogy, this movie is to Fistfull of Dollars as the Tom Savini 1990 re-make of Night of the Living Dead is to the original 68 George Romero film. Same basic plot, slightly different action, which one's better? Well you decide.You want to see something fun, shot well, something that successfully mixes the two sub-genres of western and gangster films, something that's got Bruce Willis going Desperado on Christopher Walken? Pick this one up and have a good time.

A good but familiar story

Basically a remake of For a Few Dollars More (Clint Eastwood) set in the 1920's. The action is a little overdone, but is certainly entertaining.
Forget about counting how many shots Bruce Willis fires (even at one person).

Kinda 'Yojimbo/Fistful' mixed w/ the A-Team....

Gads. What an overkill flick. Bruce Shoots up a couple roomfulls of guys twice, you get to see Christopher Walken do the same thing, there's a few beatings, a burn-out, etc etc.Not too good. I can enjoy a flick like this on it's own terms if it shows a little life-but this one is simply a shooting gallery. Bruce shoots the two guns like Brendan Fraser in the Mummy, no aim, no timing, goes thru 55 rounds between re-loads, etc. Sure guys. I always cringe when some guy opens up w/ a tommy gun, somehow misses, but the guy w/ the pistol gets him in the shootout. Ditto a 12-guage with buckshot. Baddies always shooting first but missing? But Bruce can't help but hit? Ummmm sure...Some familiar faces here-Walken, Kelly(over-acting Horribly), 'Strassi', etc. 'Larry' of 'Newhart' fame, etc. But nothing really to hang yer hat on. Not much even Bruce Dern can do with this.** outta ****. Bang bang thud.

Enjoyable if rather dark action movie

This movie serves fine for some action, with excellently dark shoot-outs being shown as John Smith (Bruce Willis), as he has told us at least, wonders into this town and quickly learns to play the two opposing gangs for all they are worth, willing to kill in the process of course, which he does expertly while wielding two colt .45 1911's masterfully. This movie recalls both the westerns of of the sixties, one of which, For a Fistful of Dollars, is another adaptation of this movie's source material, Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, as well as the noir movies of the 40's. This may work for some but it does feel rather odd, in both a good and bad way. Bruce Willis, in grim and monotone manner, is perfect for the narration held in between the shoot-outs. This narration, along with the costume's of the characters, fedora's and all, are cheerful reminders of the noir movies of past, to show that perhaps that genre has a little life left within it. The desert setting in which this 1860's style ghost town, in which the two rival gangs square off, both with help from our main character, is located in is the main reminder then of the western part of this movie as well. The Plot then is basically Bruce Willis's character playing both sides for whatever he can get. He is grimly cool in a certain way. The gangs then are the Irish, led by Doyle, and the Italians, led by Strozzi. These gangs are essentially copies of each other except for their names and accents, and perhaps their faces. The only difference of course being that Doyle has a psychotic second-in-command, or so we are told at the start of the movie. He, as a psychotic, is played by the true mother of all psychotic playing actors.... You guessed it, Christopher Walken, essentially playing Christopher Walken. The only other occupants of the town then are the sheriff, bartender, and undertaker. In the end this is movie is certainly a dark one, although it is also not particularly serious in terms of realism. The atmosphere is extremely dark and grim as many characters are killed by Willis as well as Walken. It may actually be found depressing later on in the movie. However, contrary to this, the violence is often slightly comical. In one instance as many as forty bullets are needed to take down a character, and in others people, after having been shot by pistols, fly back several yards in the air. Something will certainly work for everyone who sees this movie, however only some will find all of these mixed aspects pleasurable when placed together as they have been here. This movie definitely employs major style, both in its shoot-outs and visual style. In parts of this film, the color has been diluted so much that it appears more or less selectively colored, such as in Sin City but not so much so. This will work for noir fans as well as those who find this bold style innovative and original, but others will find that it contributes more-so merely to the grim nature of this movie. The shoot-outs, undeniably are the best part of this movie and is all you desire is some good action then this movie fills that desire well. While this movie prefers darkness over fun, the stylistic and violent gunfights as well as the dark style will appeal to many, as it has to me. 7/10

A good movie for tough guys or tough women.

Sometimes the law doesn't work, so who better to get the wheels moving then a hired gun who operates on all sides.

Stylish Gangster Western

"Last Man Standing" falls short when you compare it to it's predecessors, Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars". Director Walter Hill may be trying to pay homage to those films(one of the hotels in the film is named "Sweetwater", a reference to Leone's classic "Once Upon a Time in the West") but oftentimes it borders on parody. It's not helped by the most redundant voiceover narration by star Bruce Willis since Harrison Ford's in the original cut of "Blade Runner". To Hill's credit the film does not fail to entertain courtesy of expert direction particularly in the action sequences. The film is also helped by a great ensemble cast most notably Christopher Walken as an Irish enforcer who, with the help of a facial scar and raspy voice, does with an economy of words what the more verbal Willis cannot. Your enjoyment of this film depends on your not having seen "Yojimbo" or "Dollars" but definitely not a waste of time.

A remake of a remake of an uncredited adaptation...

I notice that one review here mentions Hammett's "Red Harvest" -- a couple mention "Fistful of Dollars" and more mention "Yojimbo", since it's credited at the beginning.Well, Kurosawa has admitted in interviews that "Yojimbo" is an uncredited adaptation of "Red Harvest" (with some elements of "The Glass Key", i believe)...Actually, i think Hill might have better credited the Hammett than the Kurosawa, but perhaps that would have cost more.Not a great film, but interesting. ((Interested persons can see how SF writer David Drake handled the same Hammett material in his novel of space mercenaries, "The Sharp End", BTW))

Action sequences at their finest

Last Man Standing is a story about a man named John Smith(Bruce Willis) who, while trying to escape to Mexico, finds a town called Jericho. In Jericho there are two bootlegger gangs and John Smith decides to play both sides and make some money. But not everything goes as planned and Smith finds himself everyone's enemy.This movie has some of the finest action scenes I've ever seen in film. They are well choreographed and very energetic. The only problem I have with the movie is the narration.The narration is very boring and lacks substance. The only other complaint I have is the plot. The plot leaves much to be desired, but I didn't watch this movie for a plot though.If you're looking for anything with substance or plot, don't watch this movie. But if you want to see action scenes that are brushed with finesse, then this is a must see.

A mean and dusty movie.

You get the feeling that somewhere underneath all that dust there was a good movie waiting to be made. This Walter Hill film is really nothing too exceptional, though. How in the world could any movie in which Bruce Willis fires so many rounds of ammunition lose 49 million dollars? The film uses the ancient story of a mysterious drifter waltzing into town and pitting himself between two rival gangs. This plot has been used in westerns, samurai films, you name it. This film takes place in a dusty west Texas town which seems to exist only for the purpose of being a midway point for bootlegging during Prohibition. Two gangs have an uneasy truce going when Willis drives into town and starts wreaking havoc. One gang is led by David Patrick Kelly, who is an old Walter Hill stand-by actor. The other is led by Ned Eisenberg. You may remember him as being the guy from Moving Violations who is really into horror films. Both gangs are incompetent, but at least Kelly has the services of Christopher Walken's savage character on his side. Willis predictably routes these gangs, or sets up scenarios where they can kill off each other.The biggest problem with this film is its tone. Everyone is mean, depressed, or indifferent. Nobody is having any fun at all. Walter Hill is such a talented man. Hadn't he seen Willis in The Last Boy Scout? That film was also loaded with excessive violence, but it was at least FUN! Hill has given us 48 Hours and the Warriors. Those films also worked mainly because they didn't take themselves too seriously. Last Man Standing is all style and no grace.The action of this film is also very easy to see coming. Does it take a genius to figure out that when the Mexican woman gives her necklace to Willis that it will be found on him later by Kelly's gang? Notice how they beat him senseless, then turn their backs long enough for him to crawl away! You have got to be kidding me! There is not one surprise along the way.The location is dirty and desolate, but I found it somewhat beautiful. The music from Ry Cooder (whom Hill often uses) is very good and atmospheric. These little things make you wonder what a re-write could have done for the film.I'll give it 5 of 10 stars. The Hound just hates to see a good director waste a good cast!!!!

Tough as nails

Last Man Standing is a film that just isn't liked very much, and I can definitely see why. It's a very dry and lonely piece. The main character isn't very sympathetic and is just as cold and merciless as everybody in the ghost town of Jericho.The only difference is while everybody's taken sides, he's playing both of them and although it's just a blatant retelling of Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" (1961) and "A Fistful of Dollars" (1967) it definitely has its moments.Bruce Wills plays John Smith, a hired gun on the dodge from what, nobody knows but when he stumbles across the border-town of Jericho and finds two rival gangs on brink of war, the opportunity is too good to resist and he's not the type of guy to pass up some fast-bucks cause if you ask him - "They were all better off dead".Directed by Walter Hill, Last Man Standing is tough as nails and if you're in the mood to see some no-holds-barred killing and gun play then by all means watch, but if it's meaning you're looking for then steer clear because this one definitely won't change your life.

An incredible waste of human life!

Well, I've just watched this flick for the second time, first time was back 3 years though. There's nothing to complain about the vivid action sequences, atmosphere, acting etc. All good average. Nothing spectacular though. However: How come that this kinda movie is obviously always lacking some sort "reality advisor" in the process of the shooting of the film? How come our cool Mr. gunslinger Bruce Willis' pair of .45 auto is never empty before he has nailed every single mother****er plus the entire furnishings at the scene. Even if it takes about 25-30 rounds! Well, I happen to know that a modern .45 auto holds no more than 10 or 11 max. His ones held less by the looks of it (you get a pretty good look when he refills the magazines). Why is it, that although almost everyone in Jericho wants him dead, and there are plenty around, all of them are just so damn stupid to get close and open fire without taking aim first? Willis mostly walked around as if he was bulletproof, exposing himself like a bloody training target. All it would have taken to bring him down was a rifle and some carful aiming.Ok,ok,ok...I'm spoiling it. But, hell, after all, we're supposed to believe at least some of this s**t, aren't we? Please, make movies that are more believable than this one!!!