Director Jee-woon Kim, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jaime Alexander and Johnny Knoxville attend the LA premiere of "The Last Stand" at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, in Los Angeles.
Broken City
Tagline: Proof can be a powerful weapon.
Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe in the same film? Never mind the finished product, we’re keen to see the dailies. Why? Because the opportunity to see these two guys go toe-to-toe during the shoot sounds awesome (and is a must for the eventual DVD).
On screen, Wahlberg plays Bill Taggart, an ex-cop-turned-private eye hired by Mayor Nicolas Hostetler (Russell Crowe), who wants him to investigate his cheating wife, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. And if the mayor didn’t have enough on his plate, he’s also up for re-election, which is exactly the time when you need your loved ones close and your enemies far away. There’s actually a neat twist when it comes to the romantic affairs at the heart of the movie but we won’t say any more for fear of spoiling your enjoyment.
But is there enjoyment even to be had? It’s tough to find an unbeat review. “Would have made for a fine film noir 60 years ago but feels rather contrived and unbelievable in the setting of contemporary New York,” begins the Hollywood Reporter. “Everything is simultaneously too complicated and overly spelled out … a forgettable piece of pulp,” concludes the Associated Press. “An evocative and over-ambitious title for a so-so political potboiler that wants to be a gritty, expansive epic of moral and urban decay,” chides Variety. In other words: if it is broken, fix it.
PHOTOS: Mark Wahlberg
NewsFeed’s Flicks Pick: By the sounds of it, don’t take a stand against seeing The Last Stand.