THE LAST STAND (15, 107 mins)
***
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro, Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman, Eduardo Noriega, Peter Stormare, Zach Gilford, Genesis Rodriguez. Director: Kim Jee-woon.

Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t joking when he growled: “I’ll be back.”

Having served two terms as governor of California, which necessitated a ten-year hiatus from headline roles on the big screen, the professional bodybuilder-turned-actor returns with a vengeance in this testosterone-fuelled action thriller.

Like Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis, Schwarzenegger is acutely aware of his physical limitations as a 65-year-old action man and happily pokes fun at his pensioner status.

He plays Ray Owens, sheriff of the sleepy town of Sommerton Junction, which nestles on the US-Mexico border.

Ray is looking forward to a day off, leaving his three deputies – Sarah Torrance (Alexander), Jerry Bailey (Gilford) and Mike Figuerola (Guzman) – in charge.

Alas, news filters through that notorious drugs kingpin Gabriel Cortez (Noriega) has escaped FBI custody and is heading south in a specially-outfitted Corvette ZR1 with Agent Ellen Richards (Rodriguez) as a hostage.

While Bannister and his team race to Sommerton Junction, Ray rallies his troops to form a human barricade against the bad guys.

Luckily, the town has a gun museum run by oddball Lewis Dinkum (Knoxville), who just happens to have the firing mechanisms for his declassified arsenal.

The Last Stand is a rollicking romp enlivened with hyperkinetic direction. Frenetic action sequences are orchestrated with aplomb and wry humour, including a protracted chase through a cornfield.

Arnie is back – and with several films in the pipeline, including new instalments of Terminator and Conan, plus a sequel to Twins co-starring Danny DeVito.

The Austrian Oak has a very long way to go before he is felled.