Robert Redford has been pretty much dormant for the last few years, but for some reason the fall of 2001 seemed to be packed
with him, patriotism in mind. In November he worked for the CIA in
Spy Game, but in October he was a three-star general convicted to prison in
The Last Castle. The result is a little more entertaining than expected, but not much else surprising.
Redford just wants to sit out his ten years in prison so he can go home to his family again, but when he realizes that the rumors are true about the prison''s warden ("The Sopranos"'' James Gandolfini) killing inmates, he decides to march the inmates and take over the prison. Is it believable that a general would lead a bunch of prisoners against a prison? No, since as most generals would know the most logical way to succeed is through diplomacy, such as contacting some of their connections in Washington. But is it entertaining? As the second half of the movie proves, yes.
The second half of the movie is great. Despite some overly melodramatic salute scenes, the second half races along at a blazing pace. Redford leads his "troops" against the corrupt warden, playing out tactics much like one would on the battlefield. The intelligence of the attack if fun to watch, not to mention the actual attack. If the whole movie was like this, I would have easily enjoyed The Last Castle a lot more. Unfortunately...