As mentioned in the previous post, I felt pretty rotten today so I mainly hung on the couch. To get the day off to a good start, not counting workout and breakfast, I cued up this Robert Redford/James Gandolfini flick from last year. Perhaps you remember it, the poster originally had a tattered American flag but after Sep. 11 that got changed fast to one featuring the two stars’ head shots.
The Last Castle is a classic two character face off picture. Redford is a disgraced general, court martialed for refusing an order from the President, and Gandolfini is a martinet colonel who runs a military prison for convicted soldiers. The Castle of the title is a historical reference to the original prison on the same grounds as well as to the psychology of the place. Gandolfini, an officer who’s never been on a battlefield, is at first all excited to meet Redford, who wrote the modern classic on battlefield tactics.
But during their first meeting Redford, not realizing the other is in earshot, makes an offhand comment about the Colonel’s prized collection of military artifacts (such as minie balls from the Battle of Gettysburg) and Gandolfini is instantly turned into an enemy. So, in a sense, the conflict here is mostly in the mind of director Rod Lurie, similar to the disaster from a few months ago, K*19. Redford’s character must be lured into the conflict, reluctantly, by abuse and degradation to other prisoners.
I did enjoy this movie, mainly due to the quality of performances. Not just by the two stars but also Mark Ruffalo (who also starred in You Can Count on Me), Clifton Collins Jr. (also in the opened last weekend Rules of Attraction), and Paul Calderon. Aside from an unnecessary minor subplot featuring a daughter, there are no woman in this prison flick.
This film was Lurie’s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated The Contender. I didn’t like that film much at all. As prison movies go, or even military prison movies, I’d take, oh, The Great Escape anyday. The conflict here is far too contrived to be truly interesting and captivating. And the quest for respect on which Redford leads the prisoners devolves directly into an exciting yet impossible battle.
Barely recommended
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