Last Man Standing (2011)

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

All through this movie, I was hoping the plot would not be quite so obvious. It was.The acting is wooden.The clichés numerous.The 'special effects' terrible.This movie has few, if any redeeming features.

Standardized but well-made action thriller, with a gender-reversal: here, it's the wife that has to move heaven and earth to rescue her kidnapped husband. Ernest Dickerson is an experienced director and the film is made with professionalism and does not look like a made-for-TV project, although you'll probably forget it as soon as you've finished watching it. Catherine Bell is a very good action heroine - sneaky and quick, no fuss, wham-bam-thank-you-mam - but her abilities are underutilized; Mekhi Phifer and Anthony Micahel Hall provide solid support, and there is one plot twist that I feel almost ashamed for allowing it to fool me. **1/2 out of 4.

First, let me say that I love Catherine Bell and make an effort to watch everything she is in. With her as the main character and a very intriguing storyline, I had high expectations going into this movie. I must say, however, that I came away somewhat disappointed with the overall experience.I agree with the previous reviewer who said that the acting was excellent for the most part. Ms. Bell's performance was flawless. She is such a great actress whose talents are sadly under-utilized. How great she would have been in movies like "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and "Salt." The actress whom we all know was cast for the starring roles in those films was clearly unbelievable as the characters she portrayed; Ms. Bell would have been perfect.As for "Last Man Standing," the concept was original and the story was believable, but I must disagree with the previous reviewer's assessment that the writing was excellent. There were four glaring errors or plot holes that for me took much away from the movie as a whole: 1. When Nick said to Abby: "Don't forget to feed Gatsby," why did it take her so long to realize that he was giving her a clue as to how to find him? She totally dismissed it until later seeing a tiger on the TV and then having a revelation. Abby was a very intelligent woman who probably would have gotten the message immediately.2. When her contact told her that her husband's location was a warehouse four miles from the pay phone she was calling from, she immediately hung up and proceeded to go there. How did she know where to go without an address? This could have easily been remedied with a more precise description of the location, and was just sloppy scripting.3. When the man was ordered to kill her husband, why in the world would he place a blindfold on him and then step back 20 feet to take aim before shooting him? This made no sense whatsoever. This, of course, allowed Ms. Bell to come up behind him and tell him to drop his weapon, but the scene could easily have been written to play out in a more realistic manner.4. When the second man came back to check on her husband, he realized that something was amiss and said, "Where's your blindfold?" How did he know that there ever was a blindfold?Nitpicking? Maybe, but these are mistakes that a more experienced writer would never have made and could easily have been averted. Nevertheless, if you like Catherine Bell, watch this movie. If you can overlook a few amateur writing mistakes, you will enjoy it.

Close Quarters, released under name of The Last Man Standing. This fast paced action flick is Lifetimes breakout from "ladies" and family films. Stars Catherine Bell as soccer mom married to vet. making pancakes, telling bedtime stories to small daughter. Typical stay at home mom and wife. Suddenly her quiet little warm life falls apart when her husband is taken . She has to reach back into her past. A past she has locked away. To find the reason and save the man she loves. This great film uses fast flashbacks to show us her background as secret operative for the military.It moves very fast. Lots of action, blasts, fights,)Catherine does the car chase driving herself) kinks and turns. Who is after he and why? Catherine Bell is excellent as the ex-secret agent. She does most of the tricks and kicks herself. The dead and injured pile up like stove wood. The Last Man Standing (Close Quarters0 is written by team of Jolene Rice (Still Small Voices) and Adam Beason, Catherine's real life hubby. Excellent writing, acting and very great story. See again on June 11th. Do not miss this one