neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Last Castle
	Rod Lurie Robert Redford, James Gandolfini 2001 Special edition — widescreen; closed caption; English, French audio tracks; Spanish, English subtitles; audio commentary by director Rod Lurie; deleted scenes with commentary; HBO's First Look, "The Making of 'The Last Castle'" special, "Inside The Castle Walls"; theatrical trailer; production notes.		Symbolism may bludgeon the climax of director Rod Lurie's gritty military-prison drama, but it can't undermine the film's juggernaut energy, nor can it dampen the pleasure of watching savvy actors Robert Redford and James Gandolfini face off. Redford is Gen. Irwin, a Vietnam War hero and renowned strategist who disobeys an order during a police action near the end of his career. His insubordination results in a number of men dying under his command, and he ends up in a military prison run by a bureaucratic, intellectual colonel with a mean streak. The colonel, who has never been in combat, admires Irwin, but the cruel treatment of the inmates brings the two men into conflict. The cons (too) quickly line up behind Irwin. Gandolfini, best known as the complex mob boss on TV's "The Sopranos," gives the conflicted colonel a flawed humanity. Although more emblem than man, Redford is dignity and determination personified. For all the film's flaws, Lurie ("The Contender") makes propulsive partisan pulp.