Son Kahraman

Last Action Hero

Movie · 1993 · 15 people

The 1993 American fantasy action comedy Last Action Hero (Son Kahraman in Turkish) pokes fun at the habits of the action genre. John McTiernan directed and Arnold Schwarzenegger stars. On release it let down critics and the studio alike, but it has since earned a cult following.

Young Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien), a devoted fan of the Jack Slater series, receives a magic ticket from his friend Nick, who works at a cinema. It carries him into the world of Slater (Schwarzenegger), a Los Angeles police detective, where movie logic rules. When the ruthless assassin Benedict (Charles Dance) seizes the ticket and slips into the real world, fiction and reality blur, and Danny and Slater must team up to stop him. Schwarzenegger also plays himself, the actor who portrays Slater. F. Murray Abraham, Anthony Quinn and Art Carney appear in support, with brief cameos from Jean-Claude Van Damme and Robert Patrick.

Columbia Pictures and Steve Roth Productions produced it, with Schwarzenegger as executive producer. Shane Black and David Arnott are credited on the script, and Michael Kamen composed the score. Made for about 85 million dollars, it grossed roughly 137 million worldwide. It premiered in Westwood on June 13, 1993 and opened on June 16, and was Art Carney's last feature.

DirectorJohn McTiernan
Production companyColumbia Pictures

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Van Damme Film actor · 66 years old Robert Patrick Robert Patrick Film actor · 67 years old Arnold Schwarzenegger F. Murray Abraham Charles Dance Tom Noonan Austin O'Brien Art Carney Robert Prosky Anthony Quinn Bridgette Wilson Frank McRae Noah Emmerich Mercedes Ruehl Little Richard

Through different eyes

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

The idea is brilliant: an action film that both uses and mocks every action-movie cliché. The explosions, chases and perfect coincidences are overdone on purpose, and genre fans get a real kick out of spotting the references. Once the villain crosses into the real world, movie logic collides with reality and the game gets even more fun. If you want a serious thriller you may be thrown, but for genre fans it is a playground.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

It is not hard to see why it disappointed on release. The film wants to be three things at once: a big-budget action spectacle, a parody in which the genre mocks itself, and a fantasy adventure seen through a child's eyes. At times these layers produce a brilliant self-awareness; Schwarzenegger playing both Slater and himself in particular is a bold move that questions his own star image. But the shifts between tones are rough, and satire and good-natured adventure blunt each other's edge. It deserves the cult standing it later earned, yet in my view it is not quite the film it promises to be.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

The hero is a child and the story hangs on a magic cinema ticket, so it is easy to mistake it for a children's film. At heart, though, it is an action film, with chases, explosions and a ruthless assassin. It is not for young children; it works with older kids and teenagers who are used to action scenes. Its love of the movies can be a fun shared point for a film-loving family.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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