Today’s quick review: The Last Castle. Following a bad decision that cost the lives of his men, General Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford) is sentenced to serve ten years in a military prison run by Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini). There Irwin earns the respect of his fellow prisoners by appealing to their sense of honor. But his actions bring him into conflict with Winter, who believes in using violence to keep his prisoners in line.
The Last Castle is a prison drama about a disgraced general, a military prison, and the petty tyrant in charge of it. The movie explores themes of honor, discipline, and humanity through the actions of Eugene Irwin, a respected general trying to live down one mistake. The Last Castle features a well-constructed plot and relatable characters. However, the story is not deep enough to rank it among the best dramas.
The Last Castle has an able lead in Robert Redford. His character of Eugene Irwin demonstrates honor in spite of his disgrace, discipline in the face of adversity, and respect for the prisoners who have forgotten what the word means. The way he interacts with the men around him gives the movie a persistent, human quality, and it makes his actions against Winter all the more rewarding.
The supporting cast is competent, if not flashy. James Gandolfini plays opposite him as Colonel Winter, a poser of a soldier who resorts to draconian methods to keep control of his prison. Mark Ruffalo plays Yates, a cynical prison bookie and one of the few inmates not to latch onto Irwin. Clifton Collins, Jr. rounds out the main cast as Aguilar, a dimwitted prisoner who becomes Irwin’s closest ally.
The plot is two parts drama and one part action. The early stages of the movie detail Irwin’s arrival at the prison and establish his relationships with the people there. As the conflict with Winter escalates, Irwin shifts into a more active role, leading the prisoners in an attempt to oust Winter for his abusive treatment. Both sides of the movie, drama and action, are handled well, but the transition between the two is rather abrupt.
The Last Castle does have its limitations. For all that Eugene Irwin is a fascinating figure, the embodiment of hard-won military honor, he lacks the warmth and nuance a hero in his position should have. Colonel Winter makes for a thematically suitable nemesis, a soft-handed tyrant undeserving of his uniform, but the skewed balance of power between the two means that Irwin’s victories are mainly due to leniency on Winter’s part.
Watch The Last Castle when you’re in the mood for a competent prison drama with a touch of action. The Last Castle is a more thoughtful movie than most ones like it, and while it never rises to the level of a masterpiece, it does make for a satisfying watch. Skip it if you are looking for a gritty drama or pure action. For a prison drama that gets at similar themes with greater skill, try The Shawshank Redemption or Cool Hand Luke.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a solid plot, decent characters, and a military twist on the prison genre.