I recently rewatched Last Action Hero, and man, what an underrated classic. It’s hard to believe that this was released way back in 1993. This movie felt really ahead of its time in terms of the way it was a parody of the action genre, while also being an absolutely awesome action movie.
The fact that the film acknowledges that its in a magical movie universe gives writer Shane Black a ton of room to create ridiculous, over-the-top action set pieces that are a blast to watch.
Oh yeah, can we talk about the crew that made this movie? Shane Black wrote the script. You may know him as Hawkins from Predator, but this dude was pumping out nonstop top tier movie scripts for several years. He wrote this movie, Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Who directed? Well, that would be John McTiernan, director of Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October. Between him and Shane, you couldn’t ask for a better one-two punch of writer and director to ensure an amazing movie.
The cast is great, with Arnold still on top of his game here. Charles Dance plays the main villain Benedict, though nowadays all the kids probably know him for playing Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones.
There are some excellent supporting cast members rounding things out, with the lovable Robert Prosky as the projectionist – though personally, I’ll always remember him for his role in Gremlins II. You also have the gorgeous Bridgette Wilson (aka Sonya Blade) playing Arnold’s daughter. Did you know that she married Pete Sampras in the year 2000 and they’re still together today? Miss her. She was awesome.
Anyways, there you have it. A boatload of amazing reasons to watch an amazing film. Go boot up Last Action Hero with some popcorn tonight and enjoy yourself.