Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Last Castle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 5, 2021

The Last Castle pits two legendary actors -- Robert Redford and James Gandolfini -- as opposing forces within the walls of a military prison. One disgraced, the other disgraceful, the story follows them at odds with one another, as one chain of command forms and another deteriorates. It's a well conceived film, problematic at times for plot holes and transparency, but the film is blessed with some solid work on both ends of the camera that carry the picture to success, even if it's not a particularly bold film, not one quite capable of matching expectations for what should be a slightly more compelling story told by two fine actors.

An infamous military prison, run by the domineering and cold-hearted Colonel Ed Winter (Gandolfini), receives a new inmate: disgraced Lieutenant General Eugene Irwin (Redford), serving time for disobeying orders and carrying out a mission that cost several men under his command their lives. Irwin is not particularly interested in doing much at prison beyond serving his time and returning to his family. However, Winter is star struck; Irwin is an officer he has long admired and is eager to treat him as if royalty, quite unlike the harsh treatment he bestows upon the prison's general population. But when Irwin criticizes Winter's collection of military artifacts, a collection Winter holds dear, Winter's perspective suddenly changes. Now, he views Irwin as an enemy and treats him with disdain and disrespect. But Irwin stands tall in the face of persecution and gradually gains the respect of his fellow inmates, including the off-kilter but well-meaning Corporal Aguilar (Clifton Collins, Jr.). As the battle within the prison walls intensifies, as Irwin rallies the inmates to his leadership and cause, Winter turns to increasingly violent, drastic, and deadly measures to snuff out the rebellion playing out in the prison courtyard.

Winter and Irwin engage in a battle of wills that turns increasingly complex as the men play mental chess with one another. The film's main topic is the gradual transition of power from Winter's office overlooking the prison courtyard to Irwin's power plays within it, rallying the men not so much to his cause but more against Winter's draconian leadership and tactics. Winter, of course, will not stand for Irwin's manipulation and efforts to turn the tables, and he employs increasingly drastic, and desperate, measures against Irwin and the prison population, at first trying to break him physically and, later, emotionally. This is the film's bread-and-butter and it plays well, largely because the actors bring depth and personality to the parts. But the film proper is overlong, riddled with cliché, and incapable of truly turning up the heat; for as rough as things get, the film plays tepidly somehow. Director Rod Lurie (Straw Dogs, The Outpost) never seems able, or willing, to push the envelope and build a movie of truly relentless pace, human drama depth, and narrative intensity. The film teeters on excellence at its core, but the externals leave something wanting.

The actors play well one against the other. Even for the film's lack of serious grit, Redford and Gandolfini provide good work but, like the rest of the film, never notch up to boiling with any real believability. That's fine for Redford's character, who is a little more even tempered, but even as Gandolfini pushes, he never reaches the level of stone-cold intensity he's capable of playing, leaving the film more lukewarm than boiling hot. The film further features a number of excellent support performances from a star-studded cast. Delroy Lindo and Mark Ruffalo highlight while the collective cast of prisoners and guards add a feel of general authenticity to the picture.

The Last Castle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings The Last Castle to Blu-ray with a workmanlike 1080p transfer. The picture is pleasing in general, offering sharp, well defined textures, particularly close-ups of military fatigues and faces, both of which are crisp and intimately revealing. These, and other elements (various rocks, prison yard textures, the finer appointments in Winters' office) lack dynamic clarity and pinpoint command but do enjoy solid foundational definition suitable for a midlevel catalogue film on Blu-ray. The picture holds a fine grains structure, one that is even and flattering. The print is free of any major distortions or distractions and there are no serious encode issues to report, either. Colors are not describable as "robust." The movie is rather gray and bleak on the whole with some warmer, more stable output in locations like, again, Winters' office, but the film's color temperature is deliberately depressed to reinforce the film's mood and the story's tone. Still, core output is fine under the film's intended visual parameters. This is hardly an exciting, groundbreaking, or memorable transfer, but it suits the material well enough.

The Last Castle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Last Castle's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is neither superb nor disappointing, offering a well-rounded if not audibly rote and forgettable listen. The track is engaging at a base level but never soars, offering somewhat tepid sound effects, such as during a heavy rain around the 33-minute mark, but finding a little more immersive depth and intensity when the prison alarm blares, for example. A few gun blasts and other high energy action effects are suitably clear and substantial. Music is wide and plays nicely for clarity and low end support, not to mention satisfying surround blend. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized. It is center positioned for the duration.

The Last Castle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Last Castle includes a handful of extras. A digital copy code is included with purchase. A DVD copy is not. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Rod Lurie discusses the film in detail.
• Rod Lurie on The Last Castle (1080p, 10:35): The director discusses his cast and characters, making various scenes, stories from the shoot, the score, and more.
• A Hero's Farewell - A Discussion on the Alternate Ending (1080p, 2:45): Lurie talks about the film's ending and the piece shows an alternate take.
• HBO First Look: "Inside the Walls of The Last Castle" (480i, 15:01): A basic behind-the-scenes that looks at essentials like story, cast and characters, making key scenes, sets and locations, and more.
• Deleted Scenes (480i, various runtimes): Included are Colonel Winter, The Bookie, "We're Square," Colonel's Workout, DOD Investigation, Shadows of Soldiers, Pruno, Triage, and Makeshift Defibrillator. With optional director commentary.
• Theatrical Trailer (480i, 2:24).

The Last Castle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a fine film brewing just below the surface, but as it is The Last Castle never pushes from "interesting" to "compelling." Performances never hit the high end despite a star-studded cast, the story doesn't break new ground, and the narrative devices come predictably from the outset. It's a perfectly good film, very watchable even in its excess length, but audiences will be left pondering how it could have been even better. Paramount's Blu-ray is solid all around, offering several extras in addition to solid 1080p video and 5.1 lossless audio presentations. Recommended.