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Just perfect...

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Having served in the military I found some vague references of this movie real and so much more not real. Everything from the attitude of the prisoners and the commandant I thought the movie was too phony. Too many plot vehicles. Too much Hollywood BS.I really hated it and there aren't any scenes which I even remotely thought were worth my time. The characters are unrealistic. The plot even less real. The script poorly written.This might be one of Robert Redford's worst movies.

There is the realm of critics and viewers who castigate Tony Scott's "Crimson Tide,"(also featuring James Gandolfini before he became Tony Soprano) and many of the films Michael Bay made (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Rock),and Scott's "Man on Fire". You know, all the really good stuff, made by directors who know how to create films which compel us simpletons to turn up the volume at home, or just say "Wow. WOW!" as we walk across the parking lot to the car, and then discuss the film with our partner all the way home."The Last Castle" is one of these flicks. Two-starred in Maltin, the reviewer doesn't get it, calling the plot-lines obvious, the story predictable, the pace per formula. Who cares? Robert Redford and James G have so many scenes where you are simply galvanized by the struggle of good versus evil. And what is so intoxicating about that battle in this film, (set in a military prison where Redford is a disgraced, former Marine general, and Gandolfini is the commanding officer), is the "good" is the evil, and the "evil" is the good (see Shakespeare, William!). As good as Redford and Gandolfini are, the young Mark Ruffalo, just steals the film as a prisoner, the cynical conflicted son of a Congressional Medal of Honor winner who was a POW with Redford.What a wonderful surprise, to come across this on a retirement afternoon on HBO2. Just an inspiring Friday afternoon matinée!

This movie is an affront to the military by a leftist who hates the military and the USA. A 4 star US Army General allowing soldiers to murder civilians! really? As a veteran of the US Army this movie is a joke. There is no way that a US 4 star General would allow something like that to happen! oh and the prisoners are innocents abused by the guard! silly and so predictable! not worth the time. No wonder Redfords movies fail at the box office. All his movies are themed towards his bias' and have a communist leftist spin. Avoid this movie!Oh and the Prison Commandant, A Colonel allows abuse and murder to occur. No officer in the military who risk his life, career and reputation to abuse anyone under his charge!

Directed by Rod Lurie, "The Last Castle" starring an elder Robert Redford and now late James Gandolfini is a well shot and edited drama and action movie concerning 2 men's brinkmanship and in-fighting the whole length of the movie. While there are quite a few interesting and well-acted scenes and characters, I kept having thoughts of "spy-vs-spy" while watching this. It seems to be intended to be another feel-good prison movie, but it's no-where near the layered level of say "Shawshank Redemption". Here you have Gandolfini's character slighted and hell-bent on getting back at the Redford who actually seems to underact his role. There are mentions of honor, code of conduct and the general list of military protocol, but they don't really fit - as the characters are prisoners. (spoiler) The ending is supposed to be poignant but it is too choreographed and predictable. Whatever the message is supposed to be it seems lost, and the movie on the whole seems mindless.