6.4/10
133,194
310 user 116 critic

Last Action Hero (1993)

Trailer
3:23 | Trailer
With the help of a magic ticket, a young movie fan is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie character.

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers:

Zak Penn (story), Adam Leff (story) | 2 more credits »
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Popularity
2,115 ( 76)
1 win & 16 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger ... Jack Slater
F. Murray Abraham ... John Practice
Art Carney ... Frank
Charles Dance ... Benedict
Frank McRae ... Dekker
Tom Noonan ... Ripper
Robert Prosky ... Nick
Anthony Quinn ... Vivaldi
Mercedes Ruehl ... Mom
Austin O'Brien ... Danny
Ian McKellen ... Death (as Sir Ian McKellan)
Professor Toru Tanaka ... Tough Asian Man
Joan Plowright ... Teacher
Keith Barish Keith Barish ... Keith Barish
Jim Belushi ... James Belushi
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Storyline

Young Danny Madigan is a huge fan of Jack Slater, a larger-than-life action hero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. When his best friend, Nick the projectionist, gives him a magic ticket to the newest Jack Slater movie, Danny is transported into Slater's world, his number one hero where the good guys always win. It's a dream come true for Danny, but things take a turn for the worse when one of Slater's enemies, Benedict the hit man, gets ahold of the ticket and ends up in Danny's world. Slater and Danny must join forces and travel back and stop him at all costs before it'll be the end of Jack Slater. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Did Someone Say Action? [Theatrical] See more »


Certificate:

14A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sir Ian McKellen played supervillains. Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997), and McKellen as Magneto in the X-Men film franchise. See more »

Goofs

The rear-view mirror and the partition between the front and back seats have been removed from the Checker Cab. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Dekker: This is one hell of a way to spend Christmas.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The only opening credits in this film are the ones for "Jack Slater IV". See more »

Alternate Versions

The ITV premiere was heavily cut (presumably to fit a two hour schedule); from entire scenes including the burglar at Danny's house and subsequent police station scene to minor cuts to violence such as Arnold kicking a SWAT member in the testicles. See more »

Connections

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

Big Gun
Written by Angus Young and Malcolm Young
Produced by Rick Rubin
Performed by AC/DC
Courtesy of ATCO/EastWest Records
See more »

User Reviews

 
An Unappreciated Gem
20 August 2006 | by ReelCheeseSee all my reviews

We all have that one movie we absolutely love but of which no one else seems to think very highly. My 10/10 rating for LAST ACTION HERO signals that this is mine. But before you laugh me out of IMDb, allow me to explain why I think this notorious bomb is in actuality an unappreciated gem.

The central highlight of LAST ACTION HERO is the plot. I've seen this film three times, and in each instance I've been completely drawn into the notion that there exists a magical Movieland where we too could travel if only we had a magic ticket. It's sort of every film buff's fantasy, one that we get to enjoy through young Danny Madigan(Austin O'Brien) as he meets up with clichéd action hero Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course). It's priceless to see the real-world youth interact with the silver screen community and its cartoon cats, 555 phone numbers, and impossibly perfect women. It's equally entertaining when Slater comes into our world, discovering that he can't effortlessly smash his fist through a vehicle window or blow up his enemies with ease. Love it or hate it, you have to admit the story gets high marks for originality.

The writing is another highpoint, convincingly mixing so many great elements. Those behind the script nicely exploited the vast potential within the storyline. LAST ACTION HERO is on the one hand a satire of so many action films in which the likes of Schwarzenegger have straightfacedly starred. The oft-sequelized Slater chomps a cigar and wields bullets like confetti at a wedding, effortlessly taking out the bad guys and spewing witty quips. At another angle, the movie is a lighthearted romp, with one-liners and plenty of pokes at Hollywood. From another viewpoint, it's a dramatic piece, with Danny struggling to make it through an awkward age and Slater coming to grips with his unreeled existence -- and that in the real world, the bad guys can and do win. Nowhere along the line is it Oscar-caliber stuff, but it is entertaining.

There are other things to like about LAST ACTION HERO. The action is well-paced and well-placed. The acting is more than up to par, with O'Brien and Schwarzenegger great individually and as a tandem. The humor is sharp and effective, with Arnie often hilarious in his self-deprecating ways.

Perhaps much of the negative criticism directed LAST ACTION HERO came from those who didn't understand what it was trying to do. This was never meant to be another one of Arnie's shoot-'em-ups, lame attempts at comedy or even a family film. It was just meant to be fun to watch. And that's what matters most in any film. There are things about the film that don't work, but there are things about THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE that don't work, either. All that really matters is, Are we entertained? On that note, LAST ACTION HERO delivers.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 1993 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Le dernier des héros See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,338,241, 20 June 1993

Gross USA:

$50,016,394

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$137,298,489
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| SDDS (8 channels) (35 mm prints)| Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »

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