Film Reviews

The Last Castle

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: James Gandolfini
• Details: US / 120 mins / (18).

Three star General Irwin (Robert Redford) is sent to a maximum security institution after his final assignment for the US Army led to his court marshalling. The warden, Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini) isn't shy about revealing his hero worship of the prestigious General. But as Winter's methods of running his prison (dubbed the 'Last Castle') grow more vicious, Irwin can't mask his indignation and starts to undermine the Warden's authority. While this starts innocently enough at first, the battle of wits between the two men soon escalates into a mental and physical war.
At 64 years of age Robert Redford should really know better at this stage. Offering little in the way of nuance or subtlety, The Last Castle is content to wear its (stars 'n' stripes) heart stitched directly onto its sleeve. Despite the wealth of talent that Lurie (director of the far superior, The Contender) has assembled, there's no evidence of depth to either the characters or the plot. Admittedly, some of the exchanges between Gandolfini and Redford inject life into the drab proceedings, but it's not enough to warrant your attendance.

Review by Garreth Murphy