Last Man Standing

"In a town with no justice, there is only one law... Every man for himself."

1996 1h 41m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

42%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 1,049🥫42%Rotten Tomatoes●44Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 63,243

ActionCrimeDramaWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

John Smith is a mysterious stranger who is drawn into a vicious war between two Prohibition-era gangs. In a dangerous game, he switches allegiances from one to another, offering his services to the highest bidder. As the death toll mounts, Smith takes the law into his own hands in a deadly race to stay alive.

“In a town with no justice, there is only one law... Every man for himself.”

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Cast

Bruce Willis
John Smith
Bruce Dern
Sheriff Ed Galt
William Sanderson
Joe Monday
Christopher Walken
Hickey
David Patrick Kelly
Doyle
Karina Lombard
Felina
Ned Eisenberg
Fredo Strozzi
Michael Imperioli
Giorgio Carmonte

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Walter Hill
Writers: Walter Hill, Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $67M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 71% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Walter Hill, shot by Lloyd Ahern II. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ry Cooder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Freeman A. Davies shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bruce Willis and Bruce Dern and William Sanderson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In a town with no justice, there is only one law... Every man for himself.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walter Hill directs. Lloyd Ahern II behind the camera. Ry Cooder scores. Freeman A. Davies cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $67M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 71% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
330 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Walter Hill, shot by Lloyd Ahern II. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ry Cooder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Freeman A. Davies shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bruce Willis and Bruce Dern and William Sanderson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "In a town with no justice, there is only one law... Every man for himself.".
9IMDB entry: tt0116830 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 30 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lloyd Ahern II
Original score: Ry Cooder
Editing: Freeman A. Davies
Production design: Gary Wissner
Costume design: Dan Moore
Sound: Doug Hemphill
Stunt coordinator: Allan Graf
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $67,000,000
Box office: $47,267,001
Return: 71% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Last Man Standing (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes: 42% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 44/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 63,243 votes
MPAA: R

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Walter Hill

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What people are saying

John Chard2018-12-22
★ 7/10
And like Jericho, Walls come tumbling down. Last Man Standing is directed by Walter Hill who also adapts the screenplay from a story written by Ryûzô Kikushima and Akira Kurosawa. It stars Bruce Willis, Bruce Dern, William Sanderson, Christopher Walken, David Patrick Kelly, Karina Lombard and Ned Eisenberg. Music is by Ry Cooder and cinematography by Lloyd Ahern. Walter Hill's variant on Yojimbo, plot basically sees Willis as drifter John Smith, who after arriving in the dusty town of Jericho, promptly sets about making some serious cash by playing the town's two gangs off against each other. Smith is one tough hombre, a deadly pistoleer who has a fear of nothing, which is why the two respective gang leaders want him to work for them. Noses get put out of joint, blood flows, scores settled and a anti-hero is born, complete with permanent scowl and dry narration. The look and sound is terrific, Cooder's pessimistic twangs are all over the plot, while the visuals dovetail between sun-baked landscapes and the misty lensed ghost town of Jericho. Hill brings his trademark stylish violence into play, with slow-mos and rapid fire shoot-outs impressive, while his skill at creating an antique atmosphere is very much in evidence. Unfortunately the narrative isn't up to much, it lacks scope and characters merely exist, making this very much a style over substance exercise. It also means that much of the cast are given only morsels to feed on. A shame when you got Walken and Kelly on overdrive when on screen. It's an odd blend of a Western with Prohibition Noir characters, but it's unmistakably a Walter Hill film. For his fans there's enough to like about it whilst accepting it's a bit of a throwaway on the page. For the casual crime/action film fan, however, it's likely to be much ado about nothing. 7/10

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