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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A novel take on a classic movie, October 21, 2003
Akira Kurosawa's film "Yojimbo" is a cinematic masterpiece, and in the time it came out, Westerns and Samurai movies were practically one in the same. Consider "Seven Samurai" and "The Magnificent Seven" both excellent films in their own right. Similary, "Yojimbo" was remade into the classic Spaghetti western, "A Fistful of Dollars" with Clint Eastwood. It's with this remarkable history that "Last Man Standing" was made. If you know the story fo Fistful of Dollars or Yojimbo, it becomes clear that this is a role that Willis is well-suited for. He plays a man passing through a town in the middle of nowhere, and the town's split between two rival crime families. As a man skilled with guns, he plays the families off of each other to make a buck, but can't help getting pulled into the dilemmas of this little town. If you loved Yojimbo or Fistful, and don't want to see this movie out of fear that it will ruin the story, I would put those fears to bed. This movie takes a novel and more modern approach to the story, and Willis adds his own flavor to the 'man with no name.' Of course, I liked Yojimbo more. But Last Man Standing is a good film in its own right, with a good performance by Willis and excellent performances by Chris Walken, Bruce Dern, and William Sanderson. The gunfights in this movie are enjoyable, but unrealistic in a sort of John Woo/Killer/Hard-Boiled style. So, if you're interested in seeing a reworking of a classic movie, or if you just want to see a good shoot-em-up, this movie fits the bill.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love it to death., December 6, 2001
This has to be one of the best action, western and gangster movies I've ever seen. Willis was perfect for the part of John Smith (his voice-over has some of the best dialogue ever and if you don't believe me check out the opening scene), a gun for hire without a conscience. All elements of each genre are highly spoken for. The editing, dialogue, cinematography, music, direction and acting are all top class. Everything is fantastically overblown but never preposterous. As for the film itself, it is very empty but the mood and tone are so very distant and weird, and I totally love it. Walter Hills direction is a well balanced cross between Sam Peckinpah and John Woo. And Cooder's score will transport you right into the movie even on it's own. This wall always be one of my fave movies and it is very much worthy of 5 stars. The 2.50:1 anamorphic picture is stunning and there are rumors that Hill originally wanted to make it in B/W but New Line Cinema would not let him. To test this out turn your color right down and see how much the film's atmosphere is enhanced from already gloomy to undeniably depressing, BUT IT IS SO COOL. The DD 5.1 sound quality on this DVD during the gunfights is absolutely amazing. It will bug the hell out of your neighbors, but who cares? Every now and again Walter Hill injects a sudden burst of ferocious, furious and brutal violence that takes your breath away. When people are killed they don't just fall down, they FLY across the room and thru windows. Extras are brief and not very good (Cast Bios say that Die Hard 4 was released in 1998!) and there is a cool clip of Loaded Weapon 1 hidden in there too.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Probably one of the best remakes, October 7, 2003
Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" has seen a lot of remakes done to it over the past 40 years. Some of them have been good ("A Fistful of Dollars") and some of been bad ("Omega Doom"). On the other hand, "Last Man Standing" probably stands out among them all for its interpretation of the film into more modern settings. Toshiro Mifune is replaced by Bruce Willis, and while Bruce Willis is no Toshiro Mifune, his character doesn't really call for a Mifune-like role. His serious, sarcastic character enters a bordertown in Texas ravaged by two gangs, one Irish the other Italian, much like the two merchants in the original. The roles are nearly picture perfect remakes, with the exception being the role of the "wife" on one of the warring sides being made more of a victim than a contender. However, the one that ranks among them all is Christopher Walken as Hickey, who is almost a perfectly Americanized version of Nasuke. Some of his lines, such as "Can he beat this?" or "Stick around, there's more" are almost directly taken from "Yojimbo." Nasuke's revolver is replaced by Hickey's tommy gun. Its not an outstanding film and if you don't like guns-blazing action you probably won't like this, but if you do this will definately be your cup of tea. This is as close to John Woo (in his Chinese days) as I've seen most American films get. Bruce Willis having to reload his guns after emptying fifteen bullets on two guys only adds to the realism. Do I like Yojimbo better? Well, of course, but do I think this is a bad movie? Of course not. And as a remake it certainly excels among others that I have seen, Yojimbo or otherwise.
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