Cast Robert
Redford .... General Irwin
James Gandolfini .... Colonel Winter
Mark Ruffalo
Steve Burton .... Lt. Peretz
George Scott .... Thumper
Addison Pate .... Prisoner
Nick Kokich .... Private Neibolt
Directed
By ... Rod Lurie
Rated
R for language and violence.
Great
leaders throughout the ages have often been studied intensely
regarding their character and accomplishments both on and
off the field of battle. There are volumes of books dedicated
to Patton, McArthur, Hannibal, and Caesar, to name but a few,
and every aspect of their lives are examined in an attempt
to gain a better understanding of these men who were larger
then life, and shaped and changed the course of history.
Many military
leaders often spoke of the burden of command. Simply put,
it is the decisions that leaders have to make that not only
determine the outcomes of a conflict, but decide who is to
live and die, and who is to be sacrificed for the objectives
to be achieved. This is an ability that makes a great leader,
as those who posses the gift of leadership can inspire their
troops and can overcome all obstacles they are faced with.
In the
film "The Last Castle" Lt. General Eugene Irwin
(Robert Redford), is one such man. He is a gifted tactician
and on of the nations greatest military leaders. Not only
is he a highly decorated hero, he is the author of several
books on command and military strategy as well as a legend
to those he has served with as well as many well placed people
in the Pentagon.
Not all
men can be celebrated leaders, as many have to forge their
own identities in the military and serve their nation in much
less heralded positions. One such man is Colonel Winter (James
Gandolfini). Winter commands a maximum-security military prison
known as The Castle. Winter commands with a harsh, yet effective
style as he notes that there have been no escape attempts
nor attacks on the guards during his command. While the command
Brass may like his results, the inmates resent his brutal
treatment and have caused three investigations of Winter who
was exonerated each time.
It is into this hostile setting that General Irwin is placed.
Following a court-martial, Irwin is sentenced to 10 years
for failing to follow orders in a military action that caused
eight men under his command to be executed. While many of
the military upper ranks, including Winter himself are in
awe of Irwin, and do not think he has any place in a prison,
much less one as harsh as The Castle.
Winter
is in awe of Irwin, and he greets him warmly in his lavish
office upon his arrival. He even goes as far as to ask the
General to sign a copy of one of his books that Winter has
in his office. It is obvious that there is a lot of respect
towards Irwin from not only Winter but from the staff that
he commands. It is during this office meeting that an interesting
insight is given into the character of Colonel Winter. Winter
has a very elaborate collection of military artifacts in his
office, and he overhears Irwin telling a guard that person
who has this sort of memorabilia has clearly never stepped
foot on the field of battle.
Winter
seems to be a man who wants to be greater than his current
status and he takes pleasure in manipulating the prison population.
Soon after his meeting with Irwin, Winter instructs the guards
to place only one Basketball on the courtyard and then watches
from afar at the ensuing fight that erupts amongst the inmates.
Winter icily orders his guards to fire rubber bullets into
the crowd and takes pleasure in watching the inmates get hit.
Amongst
the population, Irwin is a man who gains respect. There are
those who salute him, even though it is forbidden and punished.
At first Irwin is a mystery to the inmates as they think a
man of Irwin's background will not survive and there is a
pool formed to see if he will kill himself. However Irwins
kindness to his fellow inmates, and his strength and determination
during a hard labor punishment soon win the men over and they
grow to respect the General.
The men
bond over a rebuilding project as they attempt to complete
a wall that is from the original prison, and they show a unity
and a spirit under Irwin that threatens Winter and he has
the wall destroyed killing a inmate that stands defiant in
the process.
Before
long, a battle of wills results and Irwin unites the men in
a daring plan to take the prison and remove Winter from command.
It is at this point that the film seems to lose bearing. It
goes from a drama to scenes that would make the A-Team proud
as the inmates wage war on the prison with weapons fashioned
in very little time from items found in their prison. The
trebuchet and rocket launcher was a nice touch that brought
laughter from the press screener audience.
The battle
for the prison is nicely done and Redford is great as the
leader who is cool under pressure. Gandolfini is also great
as a power hungry man, who uses his position to make up for
his shortcomings and sees his world being taken from him,
as Irwin commands the respect he is only able to get through
force.
The characters
in the film are not fleshed out as well as they could be,
and this is perhaps the greatest flaw in the film. We learn
that Irwin has a grandson he has not seen and has a daughter
he is estranged from. Aside from a brief visit early in the
film and a letter whose content is unknown, we learn little
as to why they have such tension in their relationship other
than the fact that his career kept him away, and we learn
nothing of her mother.
We know little of Winter other than that he believes his cruelty
is justified as the men in his prison are there for a reason
and that his methods are necessary to maintain order.
There
is no mention of him having a family, friends, or a life outside
the prison. He seems to be the king looking over his kingdom
and the prisoners are his serfs while his soldiers are his
knights. The interplay between Irwin and Winter is like a
chess match and this comparison is made in the film. It is
interesting to see the exchanges between the two, but there
is little compassion for Winter, and this hurts the film,
as we never get a look into his motivations and he is portrayed
as a cruel and controlling individual who feels power in causing
others pain and humiliation.
The film
was directed by Rod Lurie who wrote and directed last year's
political drama "The Contender" to much acclaim.
The film had a slow pace and Redford plays Irwin in a leisurely
manner as he calmly and methodically works his character up
to the grand finale of the film, never losing his cool nor
his site of the objective.
While the pacing of the film and some plot points could have
used some strengthening, the film is an interesting character
drama and an entertaining film, that if given some depth,
could have been a classic in the lines of Redford's early
works such as "Brubaker".
While
not a classic, "The Last Castle" is an entertaining
vehicle for one of Hollywood's enduring legends.
3 stars
out of 5.
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
|