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Last Man Standing
1996 101 min United States of America R 16+
★6.0
Crime, Action, Western, Drama
Director: Walter Hill
🎭 Based on
«Yojimbo»
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
John Smith is a mysterious stranger who is drawn into a vicious war between two Prohibition-era gangs. In a dangerous game, he switches allegiances from one to another, offering his services to the highest bidder. As the death toll mounts, Smith takes the law into his own hands in a deadly race to stay alive.
Budget:
$67M
US Gross:
$18.12M
Worldwide:
$47.27M
Starring
Bruce Willis
Actor
Bruce Dern
Actor
William Sanderson
Actor
Key opinion
Last Man Standing is widely recognized as a hyper-stylized fusion of Western and Noir that prioritizes atmosphere and kinetic action over narrative depth. While audiences are divided on Bruce Willis's performance and the film's reliance on its Kurosawa source material, it remains a cult favorite for its technical craftsmanship and visual flair.
| Cinematography | Lloyd Ahern II’s cinematography and Ry Cooder’s score create a distinctively dark, atmospheric visual and auditory identity. | |
| Direction | The film delivers hyper-real, brutal action sequences that serve as the standout stylistic hallmark of Walter Hill’s direction. | |
| Acting | Opinions on Bruce Willis's performance are divided, with some viewers praising his stoic, brutal screen presence while others find his delivery bland or lacking the grounded depth of genre predecessors. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay receives mixed reactions, viewed by some as an engaging, straightforward homage and by others as a predictable, hollow, and derivative adaptation of Yojimbo. | |
| Acting | The character work is a point of contention, with some finding the ensemble cast iconic and others complaining that even talented actors like Christopher Walken are given underdeveloped, one-dimensional roles. |