Think You Know Last Action Hero? Think Again
Last Action Hero Is Basically Arnold Schwarzenegger's Unforgiven
There's a really good quote in the aforementioned Empire article that discusses what drew Arnold to Penn and Leff's original script, and I think within that lies the most admirable qualities of the film. “Having a kid come into a movie awakens certain fantasies I had as a kid in Austria, like sitting on a horse with John Wayne”, Schwarzenegger reportedly said in a meeting with Columbia before production formally commenced. Now, it would be easy to categorise this exchange in the old narrative of Arnie's ego knowingly or unknowingly contributing to Last Action Hero's destruction - comparing himself to such an inimitable slice of Americana like John Wayne - but what it really does is reiterate his grasp over his own image and persona.
"Brand Schwarzenegger" had proven to be an increasingly profitable one in the years leading up to Last Action Hero's release, but it contained within that a diverse portfolio, one that branched into different facets of action, comedy, and even horror while intimating a willingness to examine the actor's presence - his voice, his physique, and personality - within those spaces. By the close of the eighties, Schwarzenegger's films had left an indelible mark on the action genre and on movie culture more generally, literally outmuscling the competition and inspiring both imitators and genre innovators. While not a sole influence, Arnold had helped reshape an entire genre, his boisterous personality and sculpted abs marking a new chapter in movie legend.
It wasn't arrogant for Schwarzenegger to be conscious of this when he helped mould Last Action Hero, a film that displays the same reverent, inward-looking approach to a career seen in films like Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. That may seem like and probably is a wild comparison to make on the surface with a film that features a talking animated cat voiced by Danny DeVito, but it comes from the same place.
Earlier this year, after rewatching Last Action Hero, I came across a really good review of the film by Josh Lewis of the Sleazoids podcast on Letterboxd which neatly encapsulated the above idea. In his review, Lewis described McTiernan's film as "one of the best movies about a movie star literally wrestling with their own Hollywood fantasy image and myth", quoting the "you've brought me nothing but pain" exchange between Slater and Arnold as a moment that acutely crystallises this theme - and I have to agree. The heart of Last Action Hero lies in Arnold's awareness of his career, Hollywood persona, and the mythmaking abilities of the industry, as is reflected in the film's approach to violence, genre convention, and the cinema itself, which is framed as both a source of tragic escape and dazzling inspiration for young Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien).
The sincere and sentimental streak present in Last Action Hero was mocked as another example of the film's out-of-touch nature, but it isn't all schmaltz. As much as McTiernan's movie reiterates Arnold's legend, so to speak, it also clearly makes fun of him. He's in on the joke the entire time, affectionately and hilariously ribbing on cliches and his own business-focused appetite, having the fictitious Jack Slater punch the real Arnie once he reaches the real world, and just after the latter abruptly starts an awkward Planet Hollywood promotion on the red carpet.
It could be seen as toothless, but Last Action Hero begins to work once you embrace its affection for the movies. There's an acknowledgment of the artifice and ridiculousness of the industry, but the point isn't to roll its eyes. It's a teasing celebration of the kind of film Arnie ushered in, culminating in a moment that heralds the restorative and sometimes deeply personal effects "the movies" can have on all of us.
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