The Last Castle
2001, Mystery & thriller/Drama, 2h 11m
117 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
The Last Castle is well acted and rousing for the most part, but the story can't stand up to close scrutiny. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
A three-star general (Robert Redford) is court-martialed and sentenced to a military maximum security prison, The Castle. Inside, he finds corruption and murder -- and he rallies the 1,200 inmates to revolt against the corrupt warden (James Gandolfini) and his guards.
Cast & Crew
Robert Redford
General Irwin
General Irwin
James Gandolfini
Colonel Winter
Colonel Winter
Mark Ruffalo
Yates
Yates
Delroy Lindo
General Wheeler
General Wheeler
Clifton Collins Jr.
Aguilar
Aguilar
Steve Burton
Lt. Peretz
Lt. Peretz
Critic Reviews for The Last Castle
Audience Reviews for The Last Castle
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Mar 21, 2012I usually like seeing movies where the underdog finds a way to triumph over the nasty villain, but this movie is a bit hard to take. In five minutes of movie time General Irwin goes from "Hmmm, we should overtake this prison" to the full fledged revolt overcoming guns, water cannons and helicopters.Red L Super Reviewer
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Oct 15, 2011Robert Redford? Sign me up. Can't believe I've never reviewed this movie but I absolutely love this movie. It's made in the mold of a feel good prison tale that follows a 3 star general, Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford) who has abused his power of command and lost 8 men because of it. Due to this despite every plea of his friends and family he submits himself to the consequences of his actions and is court marshaled and incarcerated. He wants to simply serve his time to pay for his crimes and go home but he can't help but rise again to leadership after seeing how the warden, Colonel Winter, runs the facility. Call me a sucker for prison movies, or movies dealing with honour and self sacrifice for a higher cause. But this movie is just awesome in all regards, I wouldn't say its better than Shawshank in the prison movie category but its certainly a good movie. And the closing scenes are quite entertaining. Great movie if you're in the mood for this sort of thing.Jason T Super Reviewer
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Oct 07, 2011A prisoner's fantasy: decorated U.S. General Robert Redford has been Court Marshalled for disobeying orders during wartime--which resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers--and is sent to a prison for violent criminals (!). He immediately gets on the wrong side of warden James Gandolfini and rallies the inmates to take control of the yard. Fairly typical genre picture with all the usual details, including the stuttering innocent whose bad treatment becomes a catalyst in the warring sides. There were many character stereotypes in this story including Aguilar, the dim bulb; Yates, the amoral prison bookie; the fallen-from-grace doctor, the big black guy, the big white guy, the big guy of uncertain ethnic descent and the token Latino guy. The prison is run strictly and without regard to military law or basic inmate legal rights. Inmates are occasionally killed by turret manning snipers who apparently have never understood that it's a crime to follow criminal orders. So what does a former lieutenant general do? He organizes the appropriately racially balanced inmates with their predictable range of personalities into an army of sorts to topple the colonel. In conclusion, I would like to state that this was boring movie I have watched..Mouhannad S Super Reviewer
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Jun 29, 2011The Last Castle was an odd film when it came out, clearly lacking the normal output by the studio system. The film is a tough one to sell and having only Redford to guide the audience, it was quite a gamble. The failed the box office, but it was not a horrible film by any means. There is a strong cast at the anchor and many of them have moved onto bigger things. I have been one of Rod Lurie's biggest champions over the years and this film was a another solid tick in my opinion. Forget the outlandish plot for a second and think about the acting. Each scene is electric and the confrontations between the actors is the key to the success. I honestly feel this is a film that is ripe for rediscovery and is now a forgotten gem that was trashed by critics who wanted something more. Great cast and filmmaking, but sadly ignored on release. 30/03/2019Brendan N Super Reviewer
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