Last Man Standing (1996)

A drifting gunslinger-for-hire finds himself in the middle of an ongoing war between the Irish and Italian mafia in a Prohibition era ghost town.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Ryûzô Kikushima (story), Akira Kurosawa (story)

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Bruce Dern, William Sanderson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	John Smith
Bruce Dern	...	Sheriff Ed Galt
William Sanderson	...	Joe Monday
Christopher Walken	...	Hickey
David Patrick Kelly	...	Doyle
Karina Lombard	...	Felina
Ned Eisenberg	...	Fredo Strozzi
Alexandra Powers	...	Lucy Kolinski
Michael Imperioli	...	Giorgio Carmonte
Ken Jenkins	...	Capt. Tom Pickett
R.D. Call	...	Jack McCool
Ted Markland	...	Deputy Bob
Leslie Mann	...	Wanda
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Finn
Luis Contreras	...	Comandante Ramirez

Storyline

John Smith is an amoral gunslinger in the days of Prohibition. On the lam from his latest (unspecified) exploits, he happens upon the town of Jericho, Texas. Actually, calling Jericho a town would be too generous--it has become more like a ghost town, since two warring gangs have 'driven off all the decent folk.' Smith sees this as an opportunity to play both sides off against each other, earning himself a nice piece of change as a hired gun. Despite his strictly avowed mercenary intentions, he finds himself risking his life for his, albeit skewed, sense of honor....

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Plot Keywords:

year 1932 | prohibition | mafia | irish | jericho texas | 

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Taglines:

In a town with no justice, there is only one law... Every man for himself.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

20 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gundown

Filming Locations:

Cook Ranch, Galisteo, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$67,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,010,331, 22 September 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,600,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lone Wolf, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie tie-in novel, which like most tie-in books, is based off of the original screenplay before it is rewritten into a final draft for the film. Two key changes from the novel/first screenplay and the final film are: 1. Instead of the owner of the Red Bird being a man named Joe Monday, it was a middle-aged woman named Dixie Monday. 2. There is an additional explanation as to why Smith was passing through Jericho other than the stated reason in the film of him heading to Mexico as an outlaw on the run. He went to Jericho looking for an associate who was supposed to meet Smith and give him fake IDs to help him escape. The man in the coffin in the window of the Undertaker's Parlor was supposed to be that contact. He had gotten himself killed by Doyle's men.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film, after ordering a whiskey, John Smith (Bruce Willis) is eating from a bowl. The bowl was not visible before hand on the bar, and Joe Monday (William Sanderson) did not fill a bowl from the stove behind the bar.

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Quotes

[first lines]
John Smith: It's a funny thing. No matter how low you sink there's still a right and wrong. You always end up choosing. You go one way so you can try to live with yourself. You go the other, you'd still be walkin' around, but you're dead and you don't even know it.

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Connections

Referenced in Rederiet: Obehagliga nyheter (1996)

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Soundtracks

Fiesta Yaqui
Performed by Kashwa-Nacza

User Reviews

Macho, stylish but not very brainy, medium good film

For Last Man Standing, director Walter Hill relocates Kurosawa's Yojimbo to depression era America in a dusty desert town. There is something arguably distinctive about the flick. Perhaps it is the merger of gangster and western; something seldom seen in movies. Or perhaps it is the way that Hill's visual portrayal of a time and place seems flawless. Last Man Standing has an exceptionally retro look to it, very crusty and dusty, and also very macho.

The problem with Last Man Standing comes down to it's roots. Once you've seen Yojimbo, Last Man Standing doesn't feel all that special. Hill never chooses to break free of the Kurosawa structure, so his film is predictable from the get go. Having said that, even if you know the outcome of the trip, part of the journey is worth while. As an action film, Last Man Standing delivers in spectacular fashion. The fight scenes are staged with a sense of gusto and texture; something is often denied to the majority of such scenes in other movies.

When Last Man Standing is in adrenaline mode it works, but when it comes to the talky segments, it feels painfully stiff. The acting style is flat, and everybody delivers their lines with the same sour expression, which Hill seems quite fond of considering how many facial close ups he uses.

In the end, the movie has a little something to offer. It's recommendable on some grounds, but it needs a bit more brain and less brawn.