Although the story's nothing new, this different action outing gets by on looks alone. Shot in sepia, the film brings a dead-end western town to life - along with all of the reptilian crooks and criminals who live in it. Walter Hill perhaps manages too well in recreating his lifeless town, as the whole film is weighted down by an oppressive atmosphere of boredom and depression. Or maybe that's just me…

Bruce Willis stars as the down-at-heel hero, playing pretty much his usual early '90s world-weary turn. This is until the film takes a darker turn towards the finale, which sees our hero taking a brutal beating that leaves him half-dead, with only one eye. Thankfully, he's still fit enough to see off the rest of the remaining baddies with his guns that are seemingly filled with never-ending bullets. Willis is supported by a familiar cast, including Bruce Dern as the local Sheriff, William Sanderson as a bartender, and the hissable Christopher Walken as villainous henchman 'Hickey'.

So anyway, this is a bleak, pessimistic film which constantly looks like it's about to burst into violent action - that is until Willis' soul-sapping narration pops up once more to drain your life away. The grumbled narration is certainly one thing I could have done without. Thankfully to make up for this miscalculation, we have some kinetic action scenes shot with a fluid energy and about a million bullets - all very impressive. In the end, though, LAST MAN STANDING is simply a passable thriller, that offers up nothing new to this genre.

John Smith (Bruce Willis) drifts into the small dusty town of Jericho, Texas during the Prohibition Era. He is just passing through until he looks at Felina a little too long. Two warring bootlegging gangs have desolated the town and Felina happens to be gang leader Doyle's girl. Sheriff Ed Galt (Bruce Dern) is corrupt and ineffective. Joe Monday (William Sanderson) runs the local bar. John Smith sees an opportunity to make a little money playing both sides before he leaves town. Hickey (Christopher Walken) is Doyle's right hand man.

This is a movie of overwhelming style and atmosphere. It is an atmosphere of unrelenting gloom. Bruce's unceasing monotone narration puts a damper on everything. I'm perfectly fine with a murky atmosphere but this is a flat unchanging grind. There are plenty of blood, guns and action. However even those scenes don't raise the tension or excitement. Most of it is the lifeless performance from Bruce.

For Last Man Standing, director Walter Hill relocates Kurosawa's Yojimbo to depression era America in a dusty desert town. There is something arguably distinctive about the flick. Perhaps it is the merger of gangster and western; something seldom seen in movies. Or perhaps it is the way that Hill's visual portrayal of a time and place seems flawless. Last Man Standing has an exceptionally retro look to it, very crusty and dusty, and also very macho.

The problem with Last Man Standing comes down to it's roots. Once you've seen Yojimbo, Last Man Standing doesn't feel all that special. Hill never chooses to break free of the Kurosawa structure, so his film is predictable from the get go. Having said that, even if you know the outcome of the trip, part of the journey is worth while. As an action film, Last Man Standing delivers in spectacular fashion. The fight scenes are staged with a sense of gusto and texture; something is often denied to the majority of such scenes in other movies.

When Last Man Standing is in adrenaline mode it works, but when it comes to the talky segments, it feels painfully stiff. The acting style is flat, and everybody delivers their lines with the same sour expression, which Hill seems quite fond of considering how many facial close ups he uses.

In the end, the movie has a little something to offer. It's recommendable on some grounds, but it needs a bit more brain and less brawn.