Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Unbreakable) has never been tougher than when he goes up against two rival crime families in this super-charged action thriller from acclaimed director Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hrs.).

Willis is John Smith, a mysterious stranger who is drawn into a vicious war between the two gangs. In a dangerous game, he switches allegiances between them, offering his services to the highest bidder. As the death toll mounts, he takes the law into his own hands in a deadly race to remain the Last Man Standing.

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Video Quality

Last Man Standing arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Shout! Studios with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive. This film was previously released on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Bros. as a part of a 2-pack with The Last Boyscout in 2010. We do not have that disc to compare, but everything we have seen indicates this is a welcome improvement. Print damage has been almost entirely eliminated without any major blemishes and only a few lingering specks that made it through the remaster.

The transfer retains the natural film grain of the source without any signs of digital manipulation to cook the details. The grain is organic rather than overly noisy or clumpy, allowing for vital texture to the image. Clarity and detail are plentiful with the period clothing and production design showing off. The traditional elements such as the dusty landscape and the sprawling plains render clearly. Skin tones appear to be natural, detailed, and consistent across the ensemble. Colors are faithfully saturated with earthy hues providing nuance to the palette. Black levels are largely deep and hold up well with crush not serving as a major issue. Shout! Studios has done some good work as we expected.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in its original English audio which brings this movie to life with the utmost accuracy. Dialogue comes through clearly without any indications of crackling or sibilance. The score from Ry Cooder emerges with ideal fidelity while avoiding age-related wear and tear at the highest amplitudes. This presentation appears to be in pretty decent shape. One of the more lively elements of this soundscape is any foray into violence such as the walls of gunfire that inevitably pack a punch. The intensity of the soundscape is enough to lock you into the ebbs and flow of the narrative. Every element has a wonderful personality that never devolves into a sonic mess. Shout! Studios has taken care of this one. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Last Man Standing is a pretty entertaining effort when assessing the output of the great Walter Hill. Some may declare they do not need another version of Yojimbo, yet such a practice is what led us to The Magnificent Seven. Bruce Willis is in brutal movie star mode as he assesses his precarious situation and plays to his advantages in a delightfully brutal fashion. The ensemble is great from the known quantities to the smallest discoveries. Given the cocktail at hand, this delivers exactly what you want from this one. Shout! Studios has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and virtually no special features. If you don’t have this in your collection yet, this disc is a good one. Recommended

Last Man Standing is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Studios has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.