ACTION; 1hr 47min
STARRING: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Eduardo Noriega
Back in business: from left, Schwarzenegger and Johnny Knoxville
After a multi-stranded set-up of good and/or bad guys by director Jee-woon Kim, Ahnuld’s latest actioner gets into its David–Goliath groove. The Goliath of the blokey piece is an escaped drug baron (Noriega as Gabriel Cortez), wanted with all guns blazing by the FBI, headed by a frazzled Whitaker. Small chance, being that Cortez is behind the wheel of a modified Corvette, for which 197mph is a stroll down the Las Vegas Strip.
The sullen fugitive is heading to the Mexican border in the wee small hours with an FBI agent hostage (Genesis Rodriguez) and a handy entourage of gun-slinging goons. Unfortunately for it, the last line of defence is dozy Sommerton Junction, casually policed by Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) and his stumblebritches staff. Get ready!
While dazzling innovation isn’t on the menu, the action chops on this thing are something else. The real drawcard is the star, however, and it’s a joy to see the tongue-in-cheek Schwarz-man back in a leading role after 10 years. He’s older and wearier, and he’s not afraid to show it. Why would he be?
