Last Castle (2001)

"Terrifically Entertaining!  Roger Ebert
"Terrifically entertaining!  Roger Ebert, Ebert & Roeper
"Inspiring and heroic.  WWOR
"...a psychological tussle that's ingriguing.  Desson Howe, The Washington Post

Editor's Note Three-star General Irwin (Robert Redford) was a prisoner of war in Vietnam and a revered hero in the Persian Gulf and Bosnian campaigns. Now, he has been court-martialed for disobeying orders and he is sentenced to serve time at The Castle, a maximum-security military prison run by Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini), a hard-nosed disciplinarian. A battle of wills soon emerges between the two men, as The Castle's prisoners and guards find themselves drawn to Irwin's natural leadership abilities. As Irwin inspires the prisoners to find the dignity and pride that they have lost, he threatens Winter's strict regime, leading to a conflict that can only have one winner. From Rod Lurie, West Point graduate and director of DETERRENCE and THE CONTENDER, comes this intense dramatic thriller featuring battles both psychological and military. Stars Redford and Gandolfini, joined by gifted newcomers Mark Ruffalo and Clifton Collins, Jr., give excellent performances as a group of very different military men thrown together into an ugly situation. Filmed on location at the now-closed Tennessee State Penetentiary, THE LAST CASTLE is a hard-edged tribute to courage, honor, and loyalty.

	Delroy Lindo
	James Gandolfini
	Mark Ruffalo
	Paul Calderon
	Robert Redford
	Steve Burton
	Rod Lurie - Director
	Shelly Johnson - Director of Photography
	Jerry Goldsmith - Musical Score
	Mark McKenzie - Musical Score
	Don Zepfel - Producer
	Robert Lawrence - Producer
	Graham Yost - Screenplay
	David Scarpa - Story By

New York Times
"...Exuberant, strapping..." 10/19/2001 p.E16

USA Today
"...[Redford] has a natural authority and a commanding, charismatic presence that serves him well..." 10/19/2001 p.6E

Box Office
"...Redford's comfortable charm and confidence make his character an easy man to rally behind....[Gandolfini's] performance yields emotion as palpable as any he's expressed..." 12/01/2001 p.60-1

Chicago Sun-Times
"...The film does such a good job of creating its oppressive, claustrophobic prison atmosphere, and peopling it with sharply defined characters, that it grips us..." 10/19/2001 p.35

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Redford and Gandolfini are two reasons the movie plays so well. Redford, because he does what's expected, as a calm, strong, unbreakable leader. Gandolfini, because he does what is not expected, and creates not simply a villain, but a portrait of a type that is so nuanced, so compelling, so instinctively right, that we are looking at the performance of a career. - Roger Ebert