The Last Warrior (1989)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Film: C-
We have seen many films about World War II and the
individual combat between U.S. & Japanese forces, but as interesting as
that situation can be, that is not guarantee any film made on the subject will
work. Martin Wragge’s The Last
Warrior (1989) is one that simply does not.
The film pits American Gary Graham against Japanese
Imperial fighter Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and though the casting is not bad, all
Graham can do is seem like a substitute for Richard Chamberlain and he acts as
passive. Unfortunately, the fighting
and stalking that goes on between the two is never convincing and the actual
story about Japanese Imperialism and its implications are never dealt
with. Yes, the Wragge’s screenplay is
actually trying to be politically correct about al this.
The result is a very flat, forgettable film, presented
here in full screen and may have been shot full frame, but it is hard to
tell. This is an old analog transfer of
the material and is probably not doing justice to whatever cinematographer Fred
Tammes, B.S.G., tried to do. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 sound is barely stereo, if that, and the sound is never impressive,
even in the fight scenes. The only
extra is a trailer.
The 1980s developed a cycle of such films in the B and
straight-to-video department and this is like a slightly higher version of
that. I wanted to enjoy the film, but
it just never clicks. The Last
Warrior is for die-hard fans of this kind of story, if that.
- Nicholas Sheffo
