THE LAST PATROL is a rather boring action B-movie set in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by natural disasters. There's a volcano and earthquakes brought to the viewer thanks to stock footage from previous, better movies. Dolph Lundgren is the nominal hero of this one, leading a rag-tag bunch of survivors against some escaped convicts and nasty prisoner types, but the script is all over the place and the villains have no menace at all. There's an emphasis on melodrama and over-emoting while Lundgren looks frankly bored by the whole thing, and who can blame him? He's ridiculously dubbed in a lengthy voice-over that tops and tails the movie and the dusty Israeli locations add little to the production. A misfire from director Sheldon Lettich, whose Van Damme double-bill of A.W.O.L. and DOUBLE IMPACT remain old-time favourites of mine.
31 Reviews
Curiously Interesting
junk-monkey27 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is not what I expected from the DVD's cover or from some of the reviews posted here. There have been countless post-apocalyptic, Mad Max clones and rip-offs but this movie differs from most in that it takes a lot of time to get to the running around and shooting scenes. Time which is spent on character and atmosphere.
The story is just as full of holes and "what the hell are they talking about?" moments as any other cheapo SF flick (for instance were we really expected to believe that that fine, healthy horse had been stuck in that box in the middle of the desert for weeks!? And I'm not sure the whole weird disease, pain relief ward run by desperate murderers and psychos thing made any sense at all.) But there was so much other weirdness floating about that I got the idea things might be explained / resolved by the end. They weren't, but the air of weirdness: the sudden strange Christian Voodoo rain magic thing, the cons standing in the blazing sun drinking their own urine and watching (worshipping?) their Hispanic leader Jesus on massed TV screens, the almost dreamlike quality of some of the scenes carried me through to the end.
This may not be a great movie (or even a good one) but it sure as hell is a lot more interesting than 90% of the cheap, explosion driven, crap that masquerade as SF movies out there.
Incidentally if you watch this on DVD check to see if there is a "making of" featurette. It's pretty standard fare but look out for the producer(?) trying to hide his astonishment they could find decent actors in Israel. His hair is incredible. Scariest thing I have seen all week. It's like Arch Hall's in Eegah!, only more so. I hope it was a wig.
The story is just as full of holes and "what the hell are they talking about?" moments as any other cheapo SF flick (for instance were we really expected to believe that that fine, healthy horse had been stuck in that box in the middle of the desert for weeks!? And I'm not sure the whole weird disease, pain relief ward run by desperate murderers and psychos thing made any sense at all.) But there was so much other weirdness floating about that I got the idea things might be explained / resolved by the end. They weren't, but the air of weirdness: the sudden strange Christian Voodoo rain magic thing, the cons standing in the blazing sun drinking their own urine and watching (worshipping?) their Hispanic leader Jesus on massed TV screens, the almost dreamlike quality of some of the scenes carried me through to the end.
This may not be a great movie (or even a good one) but it sure as hell is a lot more interesting than 90% of the cheap, explosion driven, crap that masquerade as SF movies out there.
Incidentally if you watch this on DVD check to see if there is a "making of" featurette. It's pretty standard fare but look out for the producer(?) trying to hide his astonishment they could find decent actors in Israel. His hair is incredible. Scariest thing I have seen all week. It's like Arch Hall's in Eegah!, only more so. I hope it was a wig.
low grade B-movie
SnoopyStyle31 August 2015
US Army Captain Nick Preston (Dolph Lundgren) is a relic left over from previous wars. He is left in Fort Edenberg, a military junkyard. Then an earthquake measuring 9.5 hits and California is separated from the U.S. Preston, Marine Sergeant Lucky Simcoe and Air Force Captain Sarah McBride are the only survivors on the base. They are joined by a disparate collection of civilians. There is an epidemic called Q Fever. There is a shortage of water. The prisoners at Nanwong have taken over led by Jesus Carrera.
This is a bad B-movie even considering its intent. The apocalyptic world is just cobbled together with random problems. I don't know what a plague has to do with an earthquake. Even a 9.5 wouldn't turn the world into a dystopia. Dolph Lundgren is not the best actor but he tries. There is some action but it's not shot well. This is a low grade B-movie no matter how you add it up.
This is a bad B-movie even considering its intent. The apocalyptic world is just cobbled together with random problems. I don't know what a plague has to do with an earthquake. Even a 9.5 wouldn't turn the world into a dystopia. Dolph Lundgren is not the best actor but he tries. There is some action but it's not shot well. This is a low grade B-movie no matter how you add it up.
One of Dolph's worst movies!
tarbosh220002 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
A 9.5-level earthquake struck California, turning it into an island. The survivors living in this harsh new reality refer to it as "A.E." or, "After Earthquake". Army Captain Nick Preston (Dolph) visits a junkyard inhabited by Army lady McBride (Alexander), a man named Lucky Simcoe (Burke) and his perky but somewhat annoying wife Candy (Cross). They all must learn to get along, as well as dodge pitfalls like a disease that causes large, moving boils on your skin, and an insane prisoner (Juliano Mer). Meanwhile, Preston wants to save a bus filled with children led by a woman named Rainbow (Parker), who may or may not have the ability to make it rain. Perhaps she should avoid the post-apocalyptic strip clubs. What will become of these people? Starting with some narration by Dolph which explains nothing really, we realize we are in for a run-of-the-mill post-apocalypse slog. It seems, in retrospect, that The Last Warrior was doomed from the start, as a. it was shot during a period when Dolph was hitting the skids, b. It's a Nu-Image production from the same period, c. It's rated PG-13 so you know nothing REALLY awesome is going to happen, and d. It's a talky low-budget drag with minimal locations.
What this SHOULD be is Dolph doing Mad Max (done the right way) - He should be a true "Last Warrior" who fights baddies violently and on his own terms. Instead, it's a boring production about an encampment filled with annoying characters who you can't possibly care about spouting pseudo-funny dialogue. Solely the strong presence of Dolph keeps this movie from Iron Thunder (1998) territory, although a more accurate comparison might be to Digital Man (1995), a similar desert-set "ensemble" film.
Director Lettich, who is known for his Van Damme (or Daniel Bernhardt, same difference) productions, shot this in Israel, also where he shot the JCVD vehicle The Order (2001). While that is interesting, the bottom line is that The Last Warrior adds nothing to the genre. But the real crime is its dearth of action. This truly is a case of a movie needing less talk, more rock. Instead of talking our ears off, Dolph should be making a necklace of them.
Nothing happens in this babyish waste of Dolph. It's one of his worst movies, easily the equal to Agent Red (2000) in terms of audience letdown. The Last Warrior is for Dolph completists only.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
What this SHOULD be is Dolph doing Mad Max (done the right way) - He should be a true "Last Warrior" who fights baddies violently and on his own terms. Instead, it's a boring production about an encampment filled with annoying characters who you can't possibly care about spouting pseudo-funny dialogue. Solely the strong presence of Dolph keeps this movie from Iron Thunder (1998) territory, although a more accurate comparison might be to Digital Man (1995), a similar desert-set "ensemble" film.
Director Lettich, who is known for his Van Damme (or Daniel Bernhardt, same difference) productions, shot this in Israel, also where he shot the JCVD vehicle The Order (2001). While that is interesting, the bottom line is that The Last Warrior adds nothing to the genre. But the real crime is its dearth of action. This truly is a case of a movie needing less talk, more rock. Instead of talking our ears off, Dolph should be making a necklace of them.
Nothing happens in this babyish waste of Dolph. It's one of his worst movies, easily the equal to Agent Red (2000) in terms of audience letdown. The Last Warrior is for Dolph completists only.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
I watched this movie so you don't have to.
m.richards8 December 2000
Question. How do you tell when a movie is really bad?
1: The hero is an ex-Green Beret rebelling against the system.
2: It has the hackneyed plotline that the world has ended and only a few exceptional people can save the day. This genre was old when 'Mad Max' rumbled on to the screens, but its still being churned out with ever-decreasing budgets. After all, any wannabe director just needs a camera; a few friends decked out in army surplus, some beat up vehicles and a free weekend in the desert. Add suitably ruined industrial plants and bad acting to taste and you are on the way to video immortality.
The big budget productions feature kickboxing cyborgs.
The Last Patrol has no kickboxing cyborgs.
3: Voiceovers to explain the plot. Studios tack these on after the movie is edited when they realise what a complete hash they have on their hands.. A good movie doesn't need someone bored out of their mind reading lines into a microphone.
Unless they're Humphry Bogart - and he's dead.
4: It has a urine-drinking scene. There is an episode of BlackAdder where they attempt to sail round the world. Things become so desperate they have to drink their own urine. The same thing happens about halfway through The Last Patrol - I was tempted to join in the onscreen misery.
5: When the 'making of' feature and publicity materials don't feature the lead actor. Something happened during the production and they no longer want to be associated with it as it may hurt future work. In retrospect that was a very wise move Mr. Lundgren, possibly a little late, but a good idea none the less.
At this point I should make it clear I like bad movies. there is nothing like a good cheap movie to round off a Friday night. The Last Patrol even starts of promisingly. A massive earthquake (illustrated by spectacular special effects lifted straight out of 'Dante's Peak' hits California. An isolated military base in the high desert is cut off from civilisation. Somehow Dolph Lundgren (playing the part of an ex Green Beret who rebelled against the yadda. yadda.) must keep things together and rebuild civilisation.
At this point the movie takes its inspiration from the plot and everything falls apart.
The scriptwriter had a bad attack of writers' block, reached into the cliché cupboard and grabbed *everything*.
So, the commander is suitably heroic and square jawed. He's suitably macho to handle the action, but in touch with his feminine side when he needs to talk to children. The troops are rebellious, (but never mutinous); there is a bubble-headed useless blonde stripper to get in the way and a power-mad maniac out to take over the world. Would you even believe that there is a gratuitous excuse for a shower scene? Oh you would. you are way ahead of me.
All these characters (and I use the term loosely) are thrown into what passes for a plot featuring shifts in the Earth's axis, genetic mutations, plagues, private prisons and someone in communion with God. (No really!)
If it was a couple of minutes long, The Last Patrol might make an interesting trailer - after all they aren't meant to explain anything. A good trailer makes lots of noise, raises questions about the plot and draws in the audience. At 100 minutes, The Last Patrol is one hell of a long trailer - unless (and this is a scary thought) this is the teaser for an entire series of post apocalyptic fun.
Usually reviews are meant to concentrate on scripting and acting - I can't be that cruel to the cast. They had bad lines and they did a lousy job.
Special effects? Well if you've seen Dante's Peak you've already seen the best of them. The rest is the usual cheap prosthetics left over from the Halloween clearance sale and things exploding for no very good reason.
The producers didn't even choose a very nice piece of desert. In most of these movies you can amuse yourself by looking out for that strange rock where Captain Kirk once fought the lizard man. Not here.
Somehow this mess cost $8.2 million. I'm not sure where the money could have gone. Perhaps they each had a couple of drinks from the hotel minibar?
So is there anything positive to say about The Last Patrol? Ummm. there is a very sweet child who actually doesn't get on your nerves and a golden retriever with a natural talent that shines through and puts everyone else to shame.
Anything else? No not really, I just hope everyone got a good tan in the desert.
Any recommendations? To Mr Lundgren; get a new agent. To the kid; it's not too late to change your name, your secret is safe with me - no one else will ever know that you were in this film. To the rest of the cast; overacting is not the same as acting really hard. To the dog; pick your roles more carefully in future, no one likes failure in Hollywood and you do want to work again.
Final thoughts?
Needs kickboxing cyborgs.
1: The hero is an ex-Green Beret rebelling against the system.
2: It has the hackneyed plotline that the world has ended and only a few exceptional people can save the day. This genre was old when 'Mad Max' rumbled on to the screens, but its still being churned out with ever-decreasing budgets. After all, any wannabe director just needs a camera; a few friends decked out in army surplus, some beat up vehicles and a free weekend in the desert. Add suitably ruined industrial plants and bad acting to taste and you are on the way to video immortality.
The big budget productions feature kickboxing cyborgs.
The Last Patrol has no kickboxing cyborgs.
3: Voiceovers to explain the plot. Studios tack these on after the movie is edited when they realise what a complete hash they have on their hands.. A good movie doesn't need someone bored out of their mind reading lines into a microphone.
Unless they're Humphry Bogart - and he's dead.
4: It has a urine-drinking scene. There is an episode of BlackAdder where they attempt to sail round the world. Things become so desperate they have to drink their own urine. The same thing happens about halfway through The Last Patrol - I was tempted to join in the onscreen misery.
5: When the 'making of' feature and publicity materials don't feature the lead actor. Something happened during the production and they no longer want to be associated with it as it may hurt future work. In retrospect that was a very wise move Mr. Lundgren, possibly a little late, but a good idea none the less.
At this point I should make it clear I like bad movies. there is nothing like a good cheap movie to round off a Friday night. The Last Patrol even starts of promisingly. A massive earthquake (illustrated by spectacular special effects lifted straight out of 'Dante's Peak' hits California. An isolated military base in the high desert is cut off from civilisation. Somehow Dolph Lundgren (playing the part of an ex Green Beret who rebelled against the yadda. yadda.) must keep things together and rebuild civilisation.
At this point the movie takes its inspiration from the plot and everything falls apart.
The scriptwriter had a bad attack of writers' block, reached into the cliché cupboard and grabbed *everything*.
So, the commander is suitably heroic and square jawed. He's suitably macho to handle the action, but in touch with his feminine side when he needs to talk to children. The troops are rebellious, (but never mutinous); there is a bubble-headed useless blonde stripper to get in the way and a power-mad maniac out to take over the world. Would you even believe that there is a gratuitous excuse for a shower scene? Oh you would. you are way ahead of me.
All these characters (and I use the term loosely) are thrown into what passes for a plot featuring shifts in the Earth's axis, genetic mutations, plagues, private prisons and someone in communion with God. (No really!)
If it was a couple of minutes long, The Last Patrol might make an interesting trailer - after all they aren't meant to explain anything. A good trailer makes lots of noise, raises questions about the plot and draws in the audience. At 100 minutes, The Last Patrol is one hell of a long trailer - unless (and this is a scary thought) this is the teaser for an entire series of post apocalyptic fun.
Usually reviews are meant to concentrate on scripting and acting - I can't be that cruel to the cast. They had bad lines and they did a lousy job.
Special effects? Well if you've seen Dante's Peak you've already seen the best of them. The rest is the usual cheap prosthetics left over from the Halloween clearance sale and things exploding for no very good reason.
The producers didn't even choose a very nice piece of desert. In most of these movies you can amuse yourself by looking out for that strange rock where Captain Kirk once fought the lizard man. Not here.
Somehow this mess cost $8.2 million. I'm not sure where the money could have gone. Perhaps they each had a couple of drinks from the hotel minibar?
So is there anything positive to say about The Last Patrol? Ummm. there is a very sweet child who actually doesn't get on your nerves and a golden retriever with a natural talent that shines through and puts everyone else to shame.
Anything else? No not really, I just hope everyone got a good tan in the desert.
Any recommendations? To Mr Lundgren; get a new agent. To the kid; it's not too late to change your name, your secret is safe with me - no one else will ever know that you were in this film. To the rest of the cast; overacting is not the same as acting really hard. To the dog; pick your roles more carefully in future, no one likes failure in Hollywood and you do want to work again.
Final thoughts?
Needs kickboxing cyborgs.
One of Lundgren's worst movies
Maziun2 October 2013
The idea for this movie is quite interesting. It could be an interesting science fiction movie set in post apocalyptic world . Unfortunately it's not. From what I've heard the movie makers had very small budget . So small that they struggled to finish this movie . A movie with low budget doesn't necessary has to suck . This one is bad. REALLY BAD.
When you don't have money you can always impress the audience with other things : acting , dialogue , plot "The Last patrol" is poor not only with production values. It's an action movie with no action ! The first fight happens here after 1 hour and 10 minutes ! That's right . Before Lundgren will hit and kick someone you will have to wait 1 hour and 10 minutes . The last 20 minutes of movie are "intense" – we have one shootout , 5 kicks , 7 punches and 1 explosion (not too impressive) . That's all you get after suffering 1 hour and 10 minutes of boredom. And some pseudo-intellectual dialogue about faith. Admit it – that's not the reason you watch action movie , especially with Dolph Lundgren.
So what's happening before the " big climax" ? Nothing . We are introduced to characters we couldn't care less about . To be honest if it wasn't for Lundgren I would swear I was watching some idiotic comedy . I guess they wanted to make a drama about people trying to survive in a destroyed world . I don't understand why they filled the movie with characters that could easily appear in "Police academy" – the milkman , the dragged couple , the pseudo-Indian , the dumb blonde girl , the macho soldier . There is a big twist involving Lundgren's past – I don't understand what was so traumatic in it . Seriously . I laughed so hard when the movie revealed his big secret . I expected something dark and heartbreaking , while it was all about a simple talk. One meeting with black woman and children changed his life so much he had nightmares . It feels odd at best.
I have to point three dues ex machine plot solutions – one with the earthquake , second with the explosion and third with the rain. And the magical "saved from the death".
I also have to point that the movie drags all the time . It's boring like HELL . There is no interesting dialogue or good acting. "The Last Patrol" is the definition of words : dull and lifeless. And stupid.
I give it 1/10.
When you don't have money you can always impress the audience with other things : acting , dialogue , plot "The Last patrol" is poor not only with production values. It's an action movie with no action ! The first fight happens here after 1 hour and 10 minutes ! That's right . Before Lundgren will hit and kick someone you will have to wait 1 hour and 10 minutes . The last 20 minutes of movie are "intense" – we have one shootout , 5 kicks , 7 punches and 1 explosion (not too impressive) . That's all you get after suffering 1 hour and 10 minutes of boredom. And some pseudo-intellectual dialogue about faith. Admit it – that's not the reason you watch action movie , especially with Dolph Lundgren.
So what's happening before the " big climax" ? Nothing . We are introduced to characters we couldn't care less about . To be honest if it wasn't for Lundgren I would swear I was watching some idiotic comedy . I guess they wanted to make a drama about people trying to survive in a destroyed world . I don't understand why they filled the movie with characters that could easily appear in "Police academy" – the milkman , the dragged couple , the pseudo-Indian , the dumb blonde girl , the macho soldier . There is a big twist involving Lundgren's past – I don't understand what was so traumatic in it . Seriously . I laughed so hard when the movie revealed his big secret . I expected something dark and heartbreaking , while it was all about a simple talk. One meeting with black woman and children changed his life so much he had nightmares . It feels odd at best.
I have to point three dues ex machine plot solutions – one with the earthquake , second with the explosion and third with the rain. And the magical "saved from the death".
I also have to point that the movie drags all the time . It's boring like HELL . There is no interesting dialogue or good acting. "The Last Patrol" is the definition of words : dull and lifeless. And stupid.
I give it 1/10.
Last temptation (To just shut the movie off)
fmarkland3224 August 2006
Dolph Lundgren stars as Nick Preston, a soldier who survives an earth quake that separates California from the US and it is hinted that it was a global earth quake, so we are left pondering if it is only California or the whole world that has entered the apocalypse stage. Anyway there is a prison that survived and the leader looks to take over the world but before he can do so he must fight Dolph Lundgren. Dolph Lundgren is actually not too shabby in his role, he actually delivers a performance that has charisma and likability that is convincing to his character. Also Sherri Alexander isn't too shabby either and their chemistry has a few moments but generally this movie is too dull to be considered all that watchable. The Last Warrior is consistently frustrating because Lundgren will get into a good speech about the world being devastated and Lundgren manages to sell it, however the movie never shifts focus on this plot angle and instead figures to settle on the battle between Lundgren vs the prisoners. This part of the story can work if it has, oh I don't know, Action. The Last Warrior is the worst type of movie that nobody wants to see. It is a plot driven actioner without plot or action. We are left with so many confusing moments (Such as the mutant goats and their mutant owner, a woman who can make it rain and Lundgren rescuing a horse.) Truly this would have been watchable had the action angle or science fiction angle had been explored but because it isn't we are left to watch a sitcom like actioner that will surely disappoint Lundgren fans.
* out of 4-(Bad)
* out of 4-(Bad)
How Do These Movies Get Finance?
Corporal Hicks13 August 2006
The Last Patrol was one of those movies I forced myself to sit through. On pretty much every level I was left disappointed. The plot, the characters, continuity and the ending.
For some reason I had respect for Dolph but after a flick through his filmography I could only obviously recommend Universal Soldier. He was the only element of this production that offered any attraction but, while he went through the motions pretty well, he was surrounded on all sides by the mediocre and the ridiculous.
I'm sure that some of the scenes could maybe have been reworked and the overall plot could maybe have been dragged into more respectable territory but the characters were, overall, poor. Those who were meant to be funny were just annoying and with the possible exception of McBride, there was a general lack of depth.
I just don't understand how these movies make it to DVD - we're obviously not talking big budget here but where's the quality control guys?
For some reason I had respect for Dolph but after a flick through his filmography I could only obviously recommend Universal Soldier. He was the only element of this production that offered any attraction but, while he went through the motions pretty well, he was surrounded on all sides by the mediocre and the ridiculous.
I'm sure that some of the scenes could maybe have been reworked and the overall plot could maybe have been dragged into more respectable territory but the characters were, overall, poor. Those who were meant to be funny were just annoying and with the possible exception of McBride, there was a general lack of depth.
I just don't understand how these movies make it to DVD - we're obviously not talking big budget here but where's the quality control guys?
Review of the last patrol
rcj-29 November 2006
Doulf Lundgren was the strongest feature of this film, his narrations where good and reflective. And in the beginning he had an excerlent American accent but then it started to go Swedish!
The other actors in the film gave typical B movie performances that where comical and humour like. So it was a B-movie action comedy for a while.
The best parts of the film where Dolph going off the rails a little and getting a little too controlling (like in Universal soldier), and his small bits of action with his Karate moves, when the action finally kicked in.
At the end there's a nice positive message narrated well by Lundgren though but the film was a little too unbelievable, shallow, and lacked detail.
35% of 100%
The other actors in the film gave typical B movie performances that where comical and humour like. So it was a B-movie action comedy for a while.
The best parts of the film where Dolph going off the rails a little and getting a little too controlling (like in Universal soldier), and his small bits of action with his Karate moves, when the action finally kicked in.
At the end there's a nice positive message narrated well by Lundgren though but the film was a little too unbelievable, shallow, and lacked detail.
35% of 100%
Plot? What plot?
ailinon26 April 2003
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, I have no idea why this thing is in this database at all.
Why?
This is an Internet MOVIE Database, is it not?
Let's, then, define what a movie is. It's something that involves characters acting out a plot, right? Well, this has neither.
Characters? They're flat and simple. Everyone's so predictable and dumb that I find it really hard to call them "characters" at all.
Plot? Like I said, what plot? Okay, a big earthquake severs California off the rest of the American continent. That's fine. Now let's roll a die and pick from a Big List O' Ideas. Bad Ideas. Hey, dammit, it's only an earthquake, so: (1) why do mutations spread within days? (2) why does all the visible world turn to a desert, and all the world's population seems to have died out? (3) why is all communication disrupted and no large-scale military search-and-rescue operations? (4) why is the Earth's axis shifted?? now ask any physicist why an earthquake can't cause that. (5) why are the world's waters toxic all of a sudden? ... must I go on? The screenplay writer was apparently in the middle of a huge writer's block, and he went to talk to someone, whom he asked: "what should I make the plot revolve around? Mutants? Toxicity? Natural catastrophies? World anarchy? Planetary disasters?" His conversation partner must've, jokingly, answered, "all of it". And the screenplay dude took that seriously. Ouch.
Okay, I've seen many Dolph Lundgren movies, they were mostly B movies, but fun and relaxing B movies. I watched this one, hoping it to be another. And I ended up hacking my way through completely nonsensical plot and dialogues so corny that I laughed through most of the most "serious" scenes. So much for pathos.
This is Mad Max without the kick-ass characters and plot. This is Volcano with aliens coming out from the lava. This is Armageddon with a big green lump of toxic space moss instead of the asteroid. This is Waterworld with a giant squid monster and no dry land plot, and Costner turning out to be an Allah's prophet.
Stay away. Stay very far away. Watching the news for the fifth time might prove more entertaining. 1/10.
Why?
This is an Internet MOVIE Database, is it not?
Let's, then, define what a movie is. It's something that involves characters acting out a plot, right? Well, this has neither.
Characters? They're flat and simple. Everyone's so predictable and dumb that I find it really hard to call them "characters" at all.
Plot? Like I said, what plot? Okay, a big earthquake severs California off the rest of the American continent. That's fine. Now let's roll a die and pick from a Big List O' Ideas. Bad Ideas. Hey, dammit, it's only an earthquake, so: (1) why do mutations spread within days? (2) why does all the visible world turn to a desert, and all the world's population seems to have died out? (3) why is all communication disrupted and no large-scale military search-and-rescue operations? (4) why is the Earth's axis shifted?? now ask any physicist why an earthquake can't cause that. (5) why are the world's waters toxic all of a sudden? ... must I go on? The screenplay writer was apparently in the middle of a huge writer's block, and he went to talk to someone, whom he asked: "what should I make the plot revolve around? Mutants? Toxicity? Natural catastrophies? World anarchy? Planetary disasters?" His conversation partner must've, jokingly, answered, "all of it". And the screenplay dude took that seriously. Ouch.
Okay, I've seen many Dolph Lundgren movies, they were mostly B movies, but fun and relaxing B movies. I watched this one, hoping it to be another. And I ended up hacking my way through completely nonsensical plot and dialogues so corny that I laughed through most of the most "serious" scenes. So much for pathos.
This is Mad Max without the kick-ass characters and plot. This is Volcano with aliens coming out from the lava. This is Armageddon with a big green lump of toxic space moss instead of the asteroid. This is Waterworld with a giant squid monster and no dry land plot, and Costner turning out to be an Allah's prophet.
Stay away. Stay very far away. Watching the news for the fifth time might prove more entertaining. 1/10.
Garbage
Tim137024 December 2001
This is garbage. The plot is terrible. We are supposed to believe that there is an Earthquake in California and all of the sudden a secret prision and a group of soldiers met by some stragglers are the last people on Earth? That the Earth's axis would shift? In the beginning we are told that the Earthquake occurred along the San Andreas fault in California. Than why does the ocean that separates Cali and the mainland start where Las Vegas used to be. No explanation is given for the mutated milk man and goats. The psychic religion teacher who can make rain and predict "big changes." Now for the ending. Anyone who saw it will understand how terrible it was. Our hero drives a car w/ a bomb strapped on the top onto a prison and jumps out 5 feet away from the explosion only to return at the end. Rent this movie only to help the economy.
Classic Dolph
melvinthejerk8 October 2001
Out of all the lame action stars the 80's an 90's brought to us, there's one that will always remain my favorite: Dolph Lundgren. This movie is a classic Dolph film. When was the last time Arnie threw a brick at a guys face? 1985? Last I heard, he was working on Jingle All the Way 2. Dolph stayed in great shape for his age, and delivers the melodrama and unreal action that has made me like action heroes ever since I was a kid. It's this type of movie that reminds me of when Action heroes were tough. Guys like Micheal Dudikoff, Chris Christopherson, and Dolph Lundgren made good films that didn't need a bunch of cookie cutter acting. Guys like Stallone and Arnie needed to prove they could act for some reason. Leave acting to the actors and leave action to the men.
Fun
AwesomeWolf8 February 2005
'The Last Patrol' feels eerily like a prequel to Van Damme's 'Cyborg', which began as a sequel to Dolph Lundgren's live-action 'Masters of the Universe'. In fact, replace the German pirates of 'Cyborg' with the Mexican geologists of 'The Last Patrol', and they could very well be the same movie. Not really, but you get my point hopefully.
Welcome to the island of California, in the early 21st century. An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale has separated California from the rest of America. Naturally, this is an alternate universe in which Arnie never became Governator, and thus was not around to use his awesomeness to stop this devastating earthquake. Camping out at a military junkyard, Nick Preston (Dolph Lundgren) is an Army Captain who leads a group of survivors including Air Force Captain Sarah McBride, an Army sergeant 'Lucky' Simcoe and some civilians. Meanwhile, a bad-guy named Jesus and his evil-geologist partner have taken over a prison and are intent on taking out the remnants of the military. Unfortunately for the bad guys, the 'remnants of the military' include Dolph Lundgren...
So the story is something we've been told before, many many times, except this time it has Dolph Lundgren, who brings in a great sense of awesomeness. I was entertained, even if the movie was a bit slow at points. As to be expected from a Dolph Lundgren movie, there were some plot points brought up early on in the movie and then were hastily resolved, or remained unresolved entirely. The police officer promised dangerous killer mutants. Dagnabbit, what happened to the killer monster-mutants?
Despite the movie being a little slow at times, there were some nice action sequence, and the battle at the end was exciting. Dolph even throws a brick at a bad-dude's head. I can honestly say I haven't seen that outside of 'Home Alone 2', and I found it incredibly funny in both films. Other than that, I don't think Dolph's character ever fired a gun at any point in the movie, leaving a lot of Dolph fighting hand-to-hand, and a lot of Dolph acting.
'The Last Patrol' is an entertaining action B-movie. Avoid it if you don't like Dolph Lundgren, otherwise, enjoy - 6/10
Welcome to the island of California, in the early 21st century. An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale has separated California from the rest of America. Naturally, this is an alternate universe in which Arnie never became Governator, and thus was not around to use his awesomeness to stop this devastating earthquake. Camping out at a military junkyard, Nick Preston (Dolph Lundgren) is an Army Captain who leads a group of survivors including Air Force Captain Sarah McBride, an Army sergeant 'Lucky' Simcoe and some civilians. Meanwhile, a bad-guy named Jesus and his evil-geologist partner have taken over a prison and are intent on taking out the remnants of the military. Unfortunately for the bad guys, the 'remnants of the military' include Dolph Lundgren...
So the story is something we've been told before, many many times, except this time it has Dolph Lundgren, who brings in a great sense of awesomeness. I was entertained, even if the movie was a bit slow at points. As to be expected from a Dolph Lundgren movie, there were some plot points brought up early on in the movie and then were hastily resolved, or remained unresolved entirely. The police officer promised dangerous killer mutants. Dagnabbit, what happened to the killer monster-mutants?
Despite the movie being a little slow at times, there were some nice action sequence, and the battle at the end was exciting. Dolph even throws a brick at a bad-dude's head. I can honestly say I haven't seen that outside of 'Home Alone 2', and I found it incredibly funny in both films. Other than that, I don't think Dolph's character ever fired a gun at any point in the movie, leaving a lot of Dolph fighting hand-to-hand, and a lot of Dolph acting.
'The Last Patrol' is an entertaining action B-movie. Avoid it if you don't like Dolph Lundgren, otherwise, enjoy - 6/10
avoid this at all costs
liamatherton8 June 2010
Dolph is a man whom i believe has/had the potential to have the same success as Arnie or Sly as he has the charisma than other action stars such as Seagal (which isn't saying much).
This movie however made me eat these words as Dolph plods through this bored out of his skull, as were i and i believe i saw the first punch in the movie over an hour into it.
Filling the gap is tedious boring acting in which everyone is very annoying that will push viewers over the edge.
Guys do yourself a favour and avoid this drivel or you will regret it. Heres fingers crossed the expendables will change Dolphs future from making crap like this again
This movie however made me eat these words as Dolph plods through this bored out of his skull, as were i and i believe i saw the first punch in the movie over an hour into it.
Filling the gap is tedious boring acting in which everyone is very annoying that will push viewers over the edge.
Guys do yourself a favour and avoid this drivel or you will regret it. Heres fingers crossed the expendables will change Dolphs future from making crap like this again
A cross between Mad Max and The Postman
athorty14 July 2003
Warning: Spoilers
A movie for all Dolph Lundgren fans to enjoy. Not that bad for being extremely low budget. I thought they had an interesting concept with an earthquake turning California into a island. I also enjoyed Lundgren's narration throughout the movie. It's also well worth it to watch the perky and sexy Rebecca Cross (as Candy) dancing around this movie. Why hasn't she been in any movies lately?
[SOME SPOILERS]I didn't understand why people were dying and had bubbles forming on their faces and on the top of their heads. Like that crazy milkman with the mutated goats. That was never explained in the movie. But the movie did a good job keeping you interested in the characters. Towards the end I thought Candy was killed but I was very relieved to find out that she was alive and being held prisoner. That really made the mission into the prison with all those crazies more heart-pounding. If your a fan of Kevin Costner's "The Postman" (I know there aren't many of you) you should enjoy this small-scale post-apocalyptic adventure.
[SOME SPOILERS]I didn't understand why people were dying and had bubbles forming on their faces and on the top of their heads. Like that crazy milkman with the mutated goats. That was never explained in the movie. But the movie did a good job keeping you interested in the characters. Towards the end I thought Candy was killed but I was very relieved to find out that she was alive and being held prisoner. That really made the mission into the prison with all those crazies more heart-pounding. If your a fan of Kevin Costner's "The Postman" (I know there aren't many of you) you should enjoy this small-scale post-apocalyptic adventure.
Sure, why not...
paul_haakonsen30 December 2016
Right, well given the synopsis for this movie and given the fact that it is a Dolph Lundgren movie, makes you kind of take a step back and have second thoughts about watching it. You should listen to that little voice in the back of your head.
I, however, opted to sit down and watch it, because Dolph Lundgren does have the occasional movie that is good and entertaining. However, this 2000 release wasn't one of them!
The story here is about a massive earthquake hitting Los Angeles and rips it apart, and from the ashes rise a new island where law and order is gone. And a small group of armed soldiers must steer the survivors and the rest of mankind to a better future.
No. Just no! Seriously, who comes up with these ideas, and more importantly how do they manage to fund these projects. Sometimes a critique's eye should scrutinize the scripts first.
I didn't even get halfway through the movie before I had to give up out of sheer boredom and because there was nothing in the movie that could be classified as entertainment on any level. The characters were two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs and the entire storyline was just laughable. And the special effects weren't really helping the movie ahead in any way either.
This was most definitely not the brightest of moments in Dolph Lundgrens movie career, and from what I saw, then it seemed like he wasn't even fully committed to the movie, as his performance was just half-hearted in comparison to some of his other movies.
With no intention of returning to "The Last Patrol" in order to finish watching it, I can only hope that you take heed of the low rating of the movie, and actually listen to that voice in the back of your head that say "don't do it!".
I, however, opted to sit down and watch it, because Dolph Lundgren does have the occasional movie that is good and entertaining. However, this 2000 release wasn't one of them!
The story here is about a massive earthquake hitting Los Angeles and rips it apart, and from the ashes rise a new island where law and order is gone. And a small group of armed soldiers must steer the survivors and the rest of mankind to a better future.
No. Just no! Seriously, who comes up with these ideas, and more importantly how do they manage to fund these projects. Sometimes a critique's eye should scrutinize the scripts first.
I didn't even get halfway through the movie before I had to give up out of sheer boredom and because there was nothing in the movie that could be classified as entertainment on any level. The characters were two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs and the entire storyline was just laughable. And the special effects weren't really helping the movie ahead in any way either.
This was most definitely not the brightest of moments in Dolph Lundgrens movie career, and from what I saw, then it seemed like he wasn't even fully committed to the movie, as his performance was just half-hearted in comparison to some of his other movies.
With no intention of returning to "The Last Patrol" in order to finish watching it, I can only hope that you take heed of the low rating of the movie, and actually listen to that voice in the back of your head that say "don't do it!".
See another movie!
dag-otto15 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I have read some of the other comments and felt the need to express myself! For those who gives this flic more than a 3 rating must have seen another movie because this one is bad and very disappointing.. An earthquake changes our society and everything has changed. A good starting point. Unfortunately after about 3 minutes you will be confined and find yourself in an infinite emptiness for wasting 3 minutes of your life. The actors are acting bad, but the director has directed them very bad. All the scenes are weird because the actors looks like they know that this is bad. With stiff movements (very robot like) and uncertain actors, the art of acting is put to question. If you have gone to an acting school you should have passion for acting, and none of the actors represented in this flic shows passion for their work. The only good actors are the children! Another thing is the storyline and the direction of the movie. Sure the "fighting" is good, but are they trying to make fun of the action genre or do they actually want this? The Policeman running away from his car into the desert to escape the monsters (who are not there) and the school/church leader being a godlike something (with magical powers to control the weather)? Realistic/Likely? .. no it's just silly and sad.
If you want to see a really bad movie and have good company who wants to have a good laugh, you should reconsider seeing this one! .. If you want the definition of a really bad action movie, see it! Me, i will let my memory erase the scars with time!
If you want to see a really bad movie and have good company who wants to have a good laugh, you should reconsider seeing this one! .. If you want the definition of a really bad action movie, see it! Me, i will let my memory erase the scars with time!
When 4 or 5 movies are mixed together
adrianogt41 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
So where I could start? I like watching B-movies because they kind of funny and when it's a rainy afternoon, it is the right thing to do. I think Dolph Lundgren is a good actor but he ruined his reputation due movies like this. This movie has a banal plot, an earthquake destroys everything and just some people stay alive and there is no explanation of how they can survive, where they can find their food, water and so on...and they are in the middle of nowhere in the desert. Then there is an addition of useless characters who play no-role in the movie (for example that "fake" redskin who looks after the sick couple). But the interesting thing is that it should be an action movie but the only "action" scene is at 1 hour and 20 mins and the movies takes 1 h and 30 and it is a very poor action scene. The movie is supposed to be realistic until the end where something strange and totally usually appears, the black woman seems to be a kind of wizard or something like that and this point seems to be a way to make the movie end with no fighting at the end or shooting scenes.
I think this movie is like to see 4 or 5 movies mixed together with their own characters and its story. Probably nothing makes sense in this movie except for the fact that it is bad and it only took 42 days to be shot (probably this is the reason why some scenes are very bad)
I think this movie is like to see 4 or 5 movies mixed together with their own characters and its story. Probably nothing makes sense in this movie except for the fact that it is bad and it only took 42 days to be shot (probably this is the reason why some scenes are very bad)
Even dolph Lundgren's tall presense could not save this turkey
jordondave-2808518 September 2023
(2000) The Last Warrior/ The Last Patrol
SCIENCE-FICTION ACTION
Dystopian movie which it is not gasoline that brings the world upside down like it does on "Mad Max 2" or diseases that can turn people into ghouls or zombies like "I Am Legend" or "24 Days Later", to "Zombieland" but in this movie, it is earthquakes leading to people living in hot deserts.
As it centers on two different compounds, one managed by.captain sergeant, Nick Preston (Dolph Lundgren) along with his two trusted keepers of captain Sarah McBride (Sherri Alexander) and Lucky Simcoe (Joe Michael Burke) who has a young wife, Candy (Rebecca Cross) who loves to perform. Other eccentric characters also include Pope, Cooky, Will and Miriam. The other compound is like a prison-like fortress with a gate, led by a fascist wannabe, Jesus/ Jehovah Carrera (Juliano Mer) and his sidekick, Simon Peace. On his compound are men wearing orange prison-like jumpsuits, as they continue to stare at a TV screen or listening to a monitor of or from Jehovah speaking on a microphone stuck behind a production control room facility.
On the first hour is a whole lot of nothing, other than character development, some narrated by the Dolph Lundgren character as he and his two trusted friends go on about searching for things s/he could use, whatever it might be. Sarah McBride tries to contain a horse and it appears has an agenda where she is looking for her co-pilot who she eventually found at the enemy compound. And it is not until the final 25 minutes or so , they realize that some children have been held hostage there along with a lady, with Nick Preston being the first to go there. Very uneven throughout with a few amusing moments that is not enough to hold the movie together.
Dystopian movie which it is not gasoline that brings the world upside down like it does on "Mad Max 2" or diseases that can turn people into ghouls or zombies like "I Am Legend" or "24 Days Later", to "Zombieland" but in this movie, it is earthquakes leading to people living in hot deserts.
As it centers on two different compounds, one managed by.captain sergeant, Nick Preston (Dolph Lundgren) along with his two trusted keepers of captain Sarah McBride (Sherri Alexander) and Lucky Simcoe (Joe Michael Burke) who has a young wife, Candy (Rebecca Cross) who loves to perform. Other eccentric characters also include Pope, Cooky, Will and Miriam. The other compound is like a prison-like fortress with a gate, led by a fascist wannabe, Jesus/ Jehovah Carrera (Juliano Mer) and his sidekick, Simon Peace. On his compound are men wearing orange prison-like jumpsuits, as they continue to stare at a TV screen or listening to a monitor of or from Jehovah speaking on a microphone stuck behind a production control room facility.
On the first hour is a whole lot of nothing, other than character development, some narrated by the Dolph Lundgren character as he and his two trusted friends go on about searching for things s/he could use, whatever it might be. Sarah McBride tries to contain a horse and it appears has an agenda where she is looking for her co-pilot who she eventually found at the enemy compound. And it is not until the final 25 minutes or so , they realize that some children have been held hostage there along with a lady, with Nick Preston being the first to go there. Very uneven throughout with a few amusing moments that is not enough to hold the movie together.
Giggles for free, fast forwarding included
mieschkaeden3 June 2022
If you like DL ( like I do ) you should watch it as he actually carries the entire movie with his decent performance. The other actors are unbelievable bad. Holy smokes they are bad.
The plot is really cool, however, the producers managed to create a bore fest despite such a promising setting.
I enjoyed it, I giggled and I used the fast forward button a lot. Watch it but do not be sad if miss it.
The plot is really cool, however, the producers managed to create a bore fest despite such a promising setting.
I enjoyed it, I giggled and I used the fast forward button a lot. Watch it but do not be sad if miss it.
So bad it's good
olliemankz18 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
If I were you, I'd watch this film as part of your education on the works of Dolph Lundgren and not to see an action film on a par with one of his best if not his best, Men of War.
The script is actually pretty good but the movie to me suffers from over-lighted production values ... I guess that's sort of to be expected if you're filming in Israel. Lundgren still looks fabulous and was only about 44 when he made this but the directing and editing perhaps account for why he seems to have sleep-walked through this. Maybe, if it can be believed of someone who probably works out all the time, he was actually a little creaky already as evidenced by his look of stiltedness when running for instance. Perhaps he just didn't put his heart into it whereas the main female characters seemed to have acted rings around him.
As I said, I think the plot was actually not too bad and kind of ached for a remake but with sets that are believable, not just *spoilers* a lake that is supposed to be a nearly insurmountable obstacle between a new island formed off the coast of California after an earthquake of unheard-of magnitude and the mainland, and an incline that is supposedly almost too steep for our heroes to climb out of even though the location looks like but a hole in a construction site, etc.
The script is actually pretty good but the movie to me suffers from over-lighted production values ... I guess that's sort of to be expected if you're filming in Israel. Lundgren still looks fabulous and was only about 44 when he made this but the directing and editing perhaps account for why he seems to have sleep-walked through this. Maybe, if it can be believed of someone who probably works out all the time, he was actually a little creaky already as evidenced by his look of stiltedness when running for instance. Perhaps he just didn't put his heart into it whereas the main female characters seemed to have acted rings around him.
As I said, I think the plot was actually not too bad and kind of ached for a remake but with sets that are believable, not just *spoilers* a lake that is supposed to be a nearly insurmountable obstacle between a new island formed off the coast of California after an earthquake of unheard-of magnitude and the mainland, and an incline that is supposedly almost too steep for our heroes to climb out of even though the location looks like but a hole in a construction site, etc.
The Last Viewing
CuriosityKilledShawn25 January 2020
The late 90s were a wasteland of action stars starring in crash-and-burn duds beset by production problems, low budgets, and multiple name changes. I can name ten such movies off the top of my head and The Last Patrol is but another.
Set in California after an earthquake has isolated it from the rest of America (via footage stolen from Dante's Peak) there is a mild allusion to pre-millennium doom before settling in with a ragtag group of survivors in a desert outpost led by Dolph Lundgren. There is a muddled plot about a plague killing off the population while occasionally cutting to a secondary plot involving a heroin farm operated by a death row inmate freed from the electric chair at the moment of the quake. None of it stitches together very well, though the material is more ponderous than I anticipated but it has ideas well beyond its meagre budget. It seems to be going for a Mad Max vibe but with a slightly goofy, oddball tone.
The Last Patrol could have benefited from a re-write by a more experienced writer but the executive producers wouldn't allow their own script to be altered. Director Sheldon Lettich, who was a low-level mover and shaker in many Stallone, Van Damme, and Lundgren movies of the era, capably directs what little action there is with no particular flair. There are a couple of striking shots in there but its mostly all very flat with no thought given to camera blocking or composition. It was actually shot in Israel, and you might recognize a couple of locations from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. David Michael Frank (a once talented composer who seems to have just disappeared) provides an okay score that sounds a helluva lot like Uru: Ages Beyond Myst but precedes it by four years. There's a couple of oddities in the casting too. Sherri Alexander ended up giving birth to her first child at the age of 45 a decade later, and a few months after the death of her husband, who never got to see his child come into the world. That man was Michael Crichton! Also, the actor who plays the villain was assassinated in Palestine for corrupting the local Islamic youth by bringing theatre and and performance art into their community. Pretty heavy stuff! Other than that there's nothing notable here.
I don't think this movie even got released in the UK. It certainly never showed up in Blockbuster during my 5-year tenure in the 2000s. The end credits imply that it was intended for cinema exhibition but it's clearly not marketable any territory. I can't imagine anyone giving this a second viewing and it has rightfully ended up in obscurity.
Set in California after an earthquake has isolated it from the rest of America (via footage stolen from Dante's Peak) there is a mild allusion to pre-millennium doom before settling in with a ragtag group of survivors in a desert outpost led by Dolph Lundgren. There is a muddled plot about a plague killing off the population while occasionally cutting to a secondary plot involving a heroin farm operated by a death row inmate freed from the electric chair at the moment of the quake. None of it stitches together very well, though the material is more ponderous than I anticipated but it has ideas well beyond its meagre budget. It seems to be going for a Mad Max vibe but with a slightly goofy, oddball tone.
The Last Patrol could have benefited from a re-write by a more experienced writer but the executive producers wouldn't allow their own script to be altered. Director Sheldon Lettich, who was a low-level mover and shaker in many Stallone, Van Damme, and Lundgren movies of the era, capably directs what little action there is with no particular flair. There are a couple of striking shots in there but its mostly all very flat with no thought given to camera blocking or composition. It was actually shot in Israel, and you might recognize a couple of locations from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. David Michael Frank (a once talented composer who seems to have just disappeared) provides an okay score that sounds a helluva lot like Uru: Ages Beyond Myst but precedes it by four years. There's a couple of oddities in the casting too. Sherri Alexander ended up giving birth to her first child at the age of 45 a decade later, and a few months after the death of her husband, who never got to see his child come into the world. That man was Michael Crichton! Also, the actor who plays the villain was assassinated in Palestine for corrupting the local Islamic youth by bringing theatre and and performance art into their community. Pretty heavy stuff! Other than that there's nothing notable here.
I don't think this movie even got released in the UK. It certainly never showed up in Blockbuster during my 5-year tenure in the 2000s. The end credits imply that it was intended for cinema exhibition but it's clearly not marketable any territory. I can't imagine anyone giving this a second viewing and it has rightfully ended up in obscurity.
Better than i thought!
richard-31825 November 2000
This exceeded my expectations, as i have seen all of Dolphs latest films before this one and they have all been flawed although still watchable. I thought the main plot was pretty good and Dolphs performance was possibly his best. Sheldon Lettich directs precedings quite well and shows the experience that some directors of Dolphs other more recent films usually fail in. All in all this film is very similar to Stephan Kings "The Stand" although with more action, and it even has the strong religously orientated end as well which for me being a non-believer ruined the film just a little,i think this is deserving of 8/10.
I only viewed film to see Rebecca Cross
boomguy24 August 2001
Being a big fan of Rebecca Cross meant I had to see her in this movie. She was terrific in the movie. The movie was average only. This is her best role yet. Seeing her in the movie was of course best part of the movie, and worth the cost of the rental.
Apparently-trash film but actually: a great entertainment with a cool plot and colorful characters
gilg729 December 2009
Start watching this movie on TV, I expected just another low-budget action film that would doubtfully be watched till its end. Eventually, i was enjoying so much to rate it with '9'. A bit strange deviation from its 3.1 IMDb average but....this is my opinion, isn't it :)
Unlike other high-budget natural-disaster movies with heroic attempts of the main actor to save his child/wife, here there is a group of survivals with their daily attempts to survive. The grotesqueness of characters doesn't change the realness of situation. Grotesque as they are: an earthquake just happened - what will they do ? They behave like human beings under crisis - not like American heros with banally, expected and nonrealistic moves.
Just think of "metamorphosis" of kafka: there, a man became an insect and it's still a classic story. Why ? because the unreal starting-point is forgotten when the reader follows the very-real behaviour of the character (of course, this is not the only reason "metamorphosis" is a classic one :) ).
Back to The Last Patrol: a colorful set of people in a situation I'm really anxious about: you know, an earthquake can really be stronger than what we ever seen, then what will we do, isolated with some people in the less-expected location ?
Various violent conflicts (e.g. the prisoners) and the weird plague add the "action" spice which makes this film more entertaining than just a drama.
The bottom line: I've enjoyed this movie very much.
Unlike other high-budget natural-disaster movies with heroic attempts of the main actor to save his child/wife, here there is a group of survivals with their daily attempts to survive. The grotesqueness of characters doesn't change the realness of situation. Grotesque as they are: an earthquake just happened - what will they do ? They behave like human beings under crisis - not like American heros with banally, expected and nonrealistic moves.
Just think of "metamorphosis" of kafka: there, a man became an insect and it's still a classic story. Why ? because the unreal starting-point is forgotten when the reader follows the very-real behaviour of the character (of course, this is not the only reason "metamorphosis" is a classic one :) ).
Back to The Last Patrol: a colorful set of people in a situation I'm really anxious about: you know, an earthquake can really be stronger than what we ever seen, then what will we do, isolated with some people in the less-expected location ?
Various violent conflicts (e.g. the prisoners) and the weird plague add the "action" spice which makes this film more entertaining than just a drama.
The bottom line: I've enjoyed this movie very much.
See also
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