I missed last year’s 'Last Man Standing', an updated remake of Akira Kurasawa’s 'Yojimbo' (which was later remade by Sergio Leone as 'A Fistful of Dollars') in the theatre so, despite mostly poor reviews, I was looking forward to the disc. I knew director Walter Hill knew his way around an action film and Bruce Willis is, well, Bruce Willis. I figured, at worst, I’d get a cheap Kurasawa imitation. What I wound up with is more like a cheap Peckinpah imitation. And a poor one at that.
The story is a simple one. During Prohibition, a small, one horse town near the Texas/Mexico border has been taken over by rival gangs of bootleggers, one Italian, one Irish. Out across the dusty, sere landscape of west Texas in a model A Ford comes Bruce Willis, on the run from who knows what (he never says). He no sooner arrives when he has a run in with the Irish gang. It takes him about five minutes to assess the situation and decide there is a profit to be made before moving on to Mexico. What follows is less a narrative than a series of gunfights and beatings strung together with little more than attitude, posturing and some impressive widescreen photography.
What this film lacks in substance, this impeccable disc from New Line and Image almost makes up for in quality. Unquestionably this films’s strongest attribute is its striking cinematography and this video transfer renders the dusty browns and oranges with a clarity and detail that rival any I have seen. Much of the film is heavily filtered yet the image retains its crispness and clarity throughout. The letterboxed transfer has a ratio of about 2.35:1 preserving the wide Panavision compositions.
The soundtrack has all the power and impact befitting a film whose most used sound effect is a .45 caliber semi-automatic (two of them to be exact). The mix is quite good, interweaving the staccato gunfire with plenty of more subtle foley effects, Bruce Willis’ often mumbling dialog delivery and a wonderfully atmospheric score by Ry Cooder. The enhanced precision and wider dynamics of a terrific Dolby Digital track provides even more sonic suprises. The tinkle of shell casings hitting the floor during a pitched gun battle, ricochets zinging from one surround to the other and uncounted other effects all combine to create a sonic environment capable in itself of sustaining the on-screen action.
The film runs 101 minutes and the disc contains 29 chapters. The side break is rather abrupt, missing a much more appropriate spot by about three seconds (does anyone actually decide where to put these). No trailer or other extras are included.
I can’t give this disc an unconditional recommendation because of the weak story. There are, however, several well staged action set-pieces and it is a beautifully photographed film with a terrific soundtrack. I suppose I could say, if you like your action tough and your soundtracks loud, 'Last Man Standing' has something for you. Just don’t buy it for the story.
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