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For Sunday, July 5th: The Last Castle
Genre: Action/Drama

The Cover Reads...
General Irwin (Robert Redford) was a POW in Vietnam and a revered hero in the Persian Gulf and Bosnian campaigns. Now, he's been court-martialed for disobeying orders and is sentenced to serve time at The Castle, a maximum-security military prison run by a hard-nosed disciplinarian (James Gandolfini). A battle of wills soon emerges between the two men as the prisoners and guards find themselves drawn to Irwin's natural leadership abilities.

The Ups
I really like Robert Redford's works, although this was not one of his best, it was still a very good performance. I liked the way his character's presence and integrity inspires the other men, convincing them to make choices that ultimately better themselves. Gandolfini is convincing as the prison's bitter warden and his overcompensation is what makes him clash so much with Redford's character, a true war hero.

The Downs
Though I liked this movie very much, there are some little things that amount to big things in the end. A couple of the larger issues being the lack of development in some of the characters. For instance, we know that Reford's character has been court-martialed and sentenced to ten years in prison, but we don't know why. We know Gandolfini's character is a bitter prison warden but the script doesn't give a hint at some of the answers this would prompt like, was he always like this or did something happen?

The Wrap-Up
I recommend this movie because to me it shows the direct correlation that leadership has on attitude. Redford's character inspires a bunch of disorganized individuals who look out for only themselves and challenges them to be better. Although I do believe the script and the characters could have used some polish, the movie doesn't present itself as a over dramatic war production, rather an inspirational movie that tests the ultimate value of your morals.