bnorthup
10-23-2001, 11:11 AM
The Last Castle (R)
At the Gaslight
Three Stars
Headline: Redford behind bars
“The Last Castle” is an old-fashioned “star vehicle” in which two fine actors – Robert Redford and James Gandolfini - make a routine tale of a prison uprising quite watchable.
If Steve McQueen was still alive (and I wish he were), he would have been cast in the lead of “The Last Castle.” McQueen was the prototypical prisoner, whether in Germany (“The Great Escape”) or in French Guiana (“Papillon”). He was every warden’s worst nightmare.
This time it’s Robert Redford’s turn to play the restless inmate determined to lead the revolt. The villain this time is the sadistic head of a military prison. Redford plays Gen. Irwin, a war hero who heroically disobeys orders and is subsequently court-martialed. He’s send to a military prsion ruled by Col. Winter (Galdolfini).
At first Irwin is determined to simply “serve out his time” and lay low. But the abuses by the warden mount, until Irwin’s sense of justice kicks in and he does what comes naturally: he starts training the prisoners into a lean mean fighting machine. Since the prisoners are all military, this is a review course for them – and they relish the opportunity for revenge against Col. Winter.
The weakness of “The Last Castle” is its relentless obviousness. The script is determined to be transparent and to provide all the cliches – the traitor who will sing, the trip to solitary confinement and, of course, the grand finale where the inmates take control of the asylum.
But it’s a credit to Redford and Gandolfini that they rise above the formula to turn in fine performances. These are not Oscar performances, but rather the kind of performances John Ford inspired from his character actors. They play their routine roles proudly, with subtlety. They are content to play stereotypic characters and they do so with relish – and even, occasionally, with mustard and ketchup, too.
The deeper of the two is Gandolfini, whose eyes suggest that the villain’s still waters run deep.
It’s always good to see a Redford movie, because this absurdly rich, absurdly handsome man only accepts roles in movies he cares about. Unlike many actors who will happily accept a paycheck in a bad movie, Redford tends to be a bit more selective.
It’s hard not to drift back to thinking about the Golden Age of movies when watching “The Last Castle.” The day when big stars were put in routine roles – and everyone flocked to the theater for a good time. In another age, Redford would have been a Clark Gable icon. Redford’s still a big star, of course, but there’s a difference between stars today and stars of yesterday. Our more cynical age tends to rub the gloss off our stars’ publicity photos.
END
At the Gaslight
Three Stars
Headline: Redford behind bars
“The Last Castle” is an old-fashioned “star vehicle” in which two fine actors – Robert Redford and James Gandolfini - make a routine tale of a prison uprising quite watchable.
If Steve McQueen was still alive (and I wish he were), he would have been cast in the lead of “The Last Castle.” McQueen was the prototypical prisoner, whether in Germany (“The Great Escape”) or in French Guiana (“Papillon”). He was every warden’s worst nightmare.
This time it’s Robert Redford’s turn to play the restless inmate determined to lead the revolt. The villain this time is the sadistic head of a military prison. Redford plays Gen. Irwin, a war hero who heroically disobeys orders and is subsequently court-martialed. He’s send to a military prsion ruled by Col. Winter (Galdolfini).
At first Irwin is determined to simply “serve out his time” and lay low. But the abuses by the warden mount, until Irwin’s sense of justice kicks in and he does what comes naturally: he starts training the prisoners into a lean mean fighting machine. Since the prisoners are all military, this is a review course for them – and they relish the opportunity for revenge against Col. Winter.
The weakness of “The Last Castle” is its relentless obviousness. The script is determined to be transparent and to provide all the cliches – the traitor who will sing, the trip to solitary confinement and, of course, the grand finale where the inmates take control of the asylum.
But it’s a credit to Redford and Gandolfini that they rise above the formula to turn in fine performances. These are not Oscar performances, but rather the kind of performances John Ford inspired from his character actors. They play their routine roles proudly, with subtlety. They are content to play stereotypic characters and they do so with relish – and even, occasionally, with mustard and ketchup, too.
The deeper of the two is Gandolfini, whose eyes suggest that the villain’s still waters run deep.
It’s always good to see a Redford movie, because this absurdly rich, absurdly handsome man only accepts roles in movies he cares about. Unlike many actors who will happily accept a paycheck in a bad movie, Redford tends to be a bit more selective.
It’s hard not to drift back to thinking about the Golden Age of movies when watching “The Last Castle.” The day when big stars were put in routine roles – and everyone flocked to the theater for a good time. In another age, Redford would have been a Clark Gable icon. Redford’s still a big star, of course, but there’s a difference between stars today and stars of yesterday. Our more cynical age tends to rub the gloss off our stars’ publicity photos.
END