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Review by Susan Granger
4 stars out of 4
Oscar alert! This high-tension military prison drama is the first real contender
of the Fall season. The story begins as idolized but court-martialed three-star
Army General Irwin (Robert Redford) is delivered in handcuffs to a
maximum-security military prison run by Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini) whose
stunned reaction is: "They should be naming a base after the man, not sending
him here." A proud West Point graduate who pled guilty to disobeying a direct
order, Irwin is resigned to spending time incarcerated in the stockade, telling
fellow inmates: "I'm not fighting anyone for anything any more." But he's soon
appalled by the brutal, sadistic manipulative techniques used by the psychotic,
power-mad Colonel. "We are soldiers - and no one can take that away from us," he
finally declares, igniting guerrilla warfare against injustice within the penal
system, culminating in redemption and the triumph of the human spirit.
Screenwriters David Scarpa and Graham Yost set up a classic dramatic
confrontation over leadership since the plight of the protagonist is only as
tough as the antagonist makes it. Director Ron Lurie infuses the film with a
resonating tension, pitting Robert Redford, as the intense, charismatic hero
whose quiet, understated dignity transforms his desperate, dispirited cohorts
into defiant yet disciplined soldiers, against James Gandolfini, who carries the
warden to the brink of hardcore villainy with the will and ability to kill as
many prisoners as necessary to retain control. Mark Ruffalo scores as an
opportunistic bookie, Clifton Collins Jr. as an abused inmate, and Delroy Lindo
as Irwin's former colleague. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Last
Castle" is a powerful 10. It's compelling, crowd-pleasing escapist entertainment
with a patriotic, flag-waving finale.
Copyright © 2001 Susan Granger
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