Dom Robinson reviews

He's in town to bury more than his past.

Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

Cat.no: PLFEB 36751

Cert: 18

Running time: 97 minutes

Sides: 2 (CLV)

Year: 1996

Pressing: 1997

Chapters: 28 (15/13)

Sound: Dolby Surround

Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)

Price: £24.99

Extras : None

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Director:

Walter Hill (48 Hrs, The Warriors)

Producers:

Walter Hill and Arthur Sarkissian

Screenplay:

Walter Hill (based on the story by Ryuzo Kikushima and Akira Kurosawa)

Music:

Ry Cooder (Paris, Texas)

Cast:

John Smith: Bruce Willis (Pulp Fiction, Die Hard, 12 Monkeys, Fifth Element)
Hickey: Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Things to Do In Denver...)
Sheriff Ed Golt: Bruce Dern (Hang Em High, Midnight Sting, Silent Running)
Joe Monday: William Sanderson (The Onion Field, The Client, Sometimes They Come Back)
Doyle: David Patrick Kelly (Wheels of Terror)
Felina: Karina Lombard (Wide Sargasso Sea)
Fredo Strozzi: Ned Eisenberg (A Murderous Affair)
Lucy Kolinski: Alexandra Powers

Last Man Standing is Walter Hill's remake of the classic 1961 film from Akira Kurosawa, Yojimbo.

Bruce Willis, a man of many different films, plays John Smith, a lone stranger who just drove into Jericho after being directed by the spin of a whisky bottle. Self-narrated, the film has Bruce attracting attention from the local gangsters as soon as he enters as some men smash up his car. Taking a room in the local tavern, he sets off to write the wrong killing one man from Doyle's gang.

One death later, as he walks past the undertaker's, which now has a new 'customer', the owner tips him the wink. Smith contemplates whether the man is doing that for giving him the business, or if he's preparing the next box for him...

The film then sees Smith coming between the two local rival gangs, led by Doyle and Strazzi, making sure he's the winner by switching allegiances when it suits him, offering his services to the highest bidder. As the death toll mounts, he takes the law into his own hands which will end with only one last man standing...but who will that be?

Bruce Willis is on his usual top form being as moody as ever, but far more agressive as he stops at nothing to get his way and his money. His character doesn't even discount violence against women in an impromptu shoot-out as two men burst into his room while he spends some time with Lucy Kolinski. After shooting the men, just two of the gang that burst in to the tavern, Smith grabs Lucy's head from the and smacks her into the door in a bid to quieten the screaming...

Christopher Walken turns in another top-notch performance as the bad guy, although in terms of the characters he's not the main one as he plays right-hand man to Doyle (David Patrick Kelly).

Elsewhere in the cast William Sanderson has one of those recognisable faces, but never seems to get the lead role in many things. Of his extensive work given in the cast list he has also provided the voice of J.F. Sebastian in the new PC computer game of the film, Blade Runner, and also had a role in a 1988 film also called Last Man Standing. Alexandra Powers and Karina Lombard provide some window dressing, although the latter has about two lines to say in the whole film.

Finally, the part of the sheriff is played well by Bruce Dern who gets the ..and Bruce Dern in the credits as if it's a guest appearance in a sitcom.

Curiously this disc has much in common with a recent Entertainment in Video release, The Long Kiss Goodnight. Same certificate, same year of release, same film format and even the same chaptering, and the same lack of any extras.

The picture quality is frankly, disappointing. If someone had looked at the print first and done something about the master used at the time we would have had a fine-looking disc bringing out the mainly red/brown texture. As it is, the print is full of white speckles on the picture and black bars which may be a result of dust getting into the pressing which make watching the film off-putting. The widescreen framing is well-used by Walter Hill, and could have transferred well to fullscreen video as it was shot in Super-35, but as it turned out the latter was a disaster completely ruining the framing, hence another good reason to choose widescreen.

The sound quality is excellent though, in both creating an atmosphere during the quiet and/or naration scenes, and in packing a punch when it needs to, especially when Bruce does the talking with his pistols.

The disc is also very well chaptered with 28 spread through the 97-minute length. The sidebreak is unfortunate coming just after the start of a new scene but it's as good as it gets as most scenes in the film fade out as the next begins so Pioneer have done the best job they can with that. It would have been nice to see a trailer added though as there are no extras.

Film: 4/5
Picture: 3/5
Sound: 5/5

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1997.