Last Action Hero «««
PG-13, 130m. 1993
Cast & Credits: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Jack Slater/Himself), Austin O’Brien (Danny), F. Murray Abraham (John Practice), Art Carney (Frank), Charles Dance (Benedict), Frank McRae (Lieutenant Decker), Tom Noonan (Ripper/Himself), Robert Prosky (Nick), Anthony Quinn (Tony Vivaldi). Mercedes Ruehl (Irene Madigan). Ian McKellen (Death). Screenplay by Shane Black and David Arnott based on a story by Zak Penn and Adam Leff. Directed by John McTiernan.
The one statement I have always heard from people when the subject comes to box office flops is, “If they don’t do well at the box office, they do better on video.”
Last Action Hero isn’t as bad as what most critics, the press, and the public in general made the film out to be. I have seen movies much worse than this. Even Hudson Hawk (1991) wasn’t that bad.
For all the negative press Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie received, the Last Action Hero manages to succeed for two reasons. I liked how the film made fun of the big guy’s screen persona, and two, the picture sends a message to young kids about the difference between reality and fantasy.
Schwarzenegger plays Sergeant Jack Slater, an action adventure hero who has starred in a series of installments based on his character. When young 11- year old Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) is invited to a secret press screening of his idol’s new film, he gets magically thrown into the picture himself.
Danny is thrown into a whole new world which he enjoys - the movies. Once Danny meets his hero, he spends much of the time trying to convince Slater he lives in a movie. In one scene, Danny takes Slater to a local Blockbuster Video store to get him to realize the difference between his world and reality. Such an attempt proves futile after seeing a standee of Sylvester Stallone as the Terminator.
The rest of the time, the duo is battling Mafia don Tony Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and his evil sidekick, Benedict, (Charles Dance), who uses glass eyes as explosives and manages to find a way into the real world.
Slater’s world is a fantasy land where most of the police force are a lot of beautifully clad high heeled women in skimpy outfits, a cartoon character, and a hot headed police captain (Frank McRae) who has steam coming out of his ears - literally.
The film even mocks some of its supporting cast. When Slater confronts an FBI agent (F. Murray Abraham), Danny tells him he is the bad guy.
“Don’t you know he is the man who killed Mozart,” Danny says in reference to Abraham’s Oscar winning performance in Amadeus (1984).
I admit the picture’s humorous momentum practically comes to a dead stop when Danny, Slater, and Benedict jump to the other side. It is as though I am watching another movie where the characters are off doing different things. Danny develops a kinship towards his pal. Slater tries to find a way back into movie land. Benedict is busy developing devious plans to get rid of his rivals.
In a year where young kids were influenced to burn down a house because Beavis and Butthead said so on cable television and teenagers lied down in the middle of a road because they saw it done in The Program (1993), Last Action Hero proves in the real world, fantasy and reality don’t go hand in hand.
What the film addresses with both worlds is in a society filled with senseless violence, people need entertainment as a form of escapism. So long as he or she doesn’t try to imitate what they saw on the big screen the night before.
©2/3/94
PG-13, 130m. 1993
Cast & Credits: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Jack Slater/Himself), Austin O’Brien (Danny), F. Murray Abraham (John Practice), Art Carney (Frank), Charles Dance (Benedict), Frank McRae (Lieutenant Decker), Tom Noonan (Ripper/Himself), Robert Prosky (Nick), Anthony Quinn (Tony Vivaldi). Mercedes Ruehl (Irene Madigan). Ian McKellen (Death). Screenplay by Shane Black and David Arnott based on a story by Zak Penn and Adam Leff. Directed by John McTiernan.
Last Action Hero isn’t as bad as what most critics, the press, and the public in general made the film out to be. I have seen movies much worse than this. Even Hudson Hawk (1991) wasn’t that bad.
For all the negative press Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie received, the Last Action Hero manages to succeed for two reasons. I liked how the film made fun of the big guy’s screen persona, and two, the picture sends a message to young kids about the difference between reality and fantasy.
Schwarzenegger plays Sergeant Jack Slater, an action adventure hero who has starred in a series of installments based on his character. When young 11- year old Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) is invited to a secret press screening of his idol’s new film, he gets magically thrown into the picture himself.
Danny is thrown into a whole new world which he enjoys - the movies. Once Danny meets his hero, he spends much of the time trying to convince Slater he lives in a movie. In one scene, Danny takes Slater to a local Blockbuster Video store to get him to realize the difference between his world and reality. Such an attempt proves futile after seeing a standee of Sylvester Stallone as the Terminator.
The rest of the time, the duo is battling Mafia don Tony Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and his evil sidekick, Benedict, (Charles Dance), who uses glass eyes as explosives and manages to find a way into the real world.
Slater’s world is a fantasy land where most of the police force are a lot of beautifully clad high heeled women in skimpy outfits, a cartoon character, and a hot headed police captain (Frank McRae) who has steam coming out of his ears - literally.
The film even mocks some of its supporting cast. When Slater confronts an FBI agent (F. Murray Abraham), Danny tells him he is the bad guy.
“Don’t you know he is the man who killed Mozart,” Danny says in reference to Abraham’s Oscar winning performance in Amadeus (1984).
I admit the picture’s humorous momentum practically comes to a dead stop when Danny, Slater, and Benedict jump to the other side. It is as though I am watching another movie where the characters are off doing different things. Danny develops a kinship towards his pal. Slater tries to find a way back into movie land. Benedict is busy developing devious plans to get rid of his rivals.
In a year where young kids were influenced to burn down a house because Beavis and Butthead said so on cable television and teenagers lied down in the middle of a road because they saw it done in The Program (1993), Last Action Hero proves in the real world, fantasy and reality don’t go hand in hand.
What the film addresses with both worlds is in a society filled with senseless violence, people need entertainment as a form of escapism. So long as he or she doesn’t try to imitate what they saw on the big screen the night before.
©2/3/94
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