"I don't really like you. You've brought me nothing but pain."
- Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to Arnold Schwarzenegger
Entertainment Reviews:
Total Film - 12/01/2003
"...Rather smart....[With] some truly original and bizarro action scenes..."
Description by OLDIES.com:
Danny Madigan knows all the first 3 Jack Slater movies in and out. The 4th one is just about to be released too, and with a magical ticket Danny really gets to know that movie in and out too, literally speaking. During one of the action climaxes Danny is transported into the movie, into a world following other rules than the real one. Benedict, one of the evil guys, gets hold of the ticket and escapes out to the real world, a world where evil guys can actually win. Danny and Jack follow him back to the real world to get back the ticket and stop Benedict from killing the actor playing Jack.
Product Description:
Arnold Schwarzenegger and director John McTiernan join forces again in, THE LAST ACTION HERO, a heart racing thriller in which a young boy uses a magical ticket to infiltrate his favorite movie. Danny (Austin O'Brien) passes through the movie screen and into the whirlwind life of crusader Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) becoming his sidekick. But when the villains learn that they too can travel back and forth between cinema and reality, it's up to Jack Slater to put a stop their havoc wreaking.
Once a character in the "Jack Slater 4" film, Danny takes on the role of Slater's sidekick, and together they combat Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn), Benedict (Charles Dance), and The Ripper (Tom Noonan), an infamous troika bent on global malice. Trouble really however, when Benedict gets a hold of Danny's magic ticket, and travels to the real world laying waste to Times Square. Jack Slater leaves his cinematic bubble and follows the villain into reality--a reality where heroes don't always win.
Like a prophet armed with fire, director John McTiernan uses explosive action and booming special effects to foretell of a time when hyper reality will be achieved with the ease of buying a ticket to a movie.
The film debuted a new sound system from Sony called Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS). It consisted of eight different channels of digital audio that get printed on the film.
Richard Greenberg served as a visual effects consultant.
The film reunites John McTiernan and Arnold Schwarzenegger who first worked together on "Predator" (1987). They agreed to collaborate again when they found the right project and both felt "The Last Action Hero" was perfect for its blend of action and humor.
Shot in Los Angeles, California and in New York City. When they filmed in New York, city authorities closed Times Square to traffic to accommodate shooting. The production company also proudly erected a 100-foot balloon likeness of Schwarzenegger as his character Slater.
The film had an estimated budget between $60-85 million.
Rated BBFC 15 by the British Board of Film Classification.
Film Collectors & Archivists: Alpha Video is actively looking for rare and
unusual pre-1943 motion pictures, in good condition, from Monogram, PRC,
Tiffany, Chesterfield, and other independent studios for release on DVD. We
are also interested in TV shows from the early 1950s. Share your passion
for films with a large audience.
Let us know what you have.