He can try as hard as he wants, but aging heartthrob Robert Redford just can't be believable as a character whose name is Eugene Irwin.
And that's only one of many, many things that don't ring true about "The Last Castle," a prison-revolt thriller that doesn't give movie audiences nearly enough credit, intelligence-wise.
In fact, this ridiculously contrived tale has holes so big in it that an entire prison population could escape through them.
Compounding the problem is its continual flag-waving, which might be welcome and appropriate in just about any film right now except this one.
Add to that a plot that forces the audience to sympathize with convicted criminals (the implication is that some of them are murderers and rapists), and you've got formula for a real dud.
As for the film's seemingly odd title, "The Last Castle" refers to a maximum-security military prison run by U.S. Army Col. Winters (James Gandolfini, from HBO's "The Sopranos"). Under his watch, no one has ever escaped — actually, no prisoner has tried.
However, there are some who question his methods for keeping the prison population in check, including Irwin, the new arrival. He may have been stripped of his rank and title (he's a former three-star general), but Irwin still commands the respect of the former military men serving time with him.
That presents something of a problem for Winters, who is convinced that Irwin may be trying to hatch a protest of some sort. So he tries to disgrace his most high-profile prisoner, even though that may be playing into his hands.
To be fair, it's not Redford's fault that the film falls so flat. In fact, he tries to lend as much dignity as he can to his role and make the sketchy material as believable as he can.
However, he's playing against a surprisingly uncertain Gandolfini, who can't decide whether to play it cool or go over-the-top (if he'd gone the latter route, we might have been able to laugh at him rather than be bored by him).
Director Rod Lurie ("The Contender") is no help, either. His lethargic pacing ensures the first hour — mostly a set-up for the second half — seems to take twice that long. (His numerous nods to much better films, such as "Brubaker" and "Cool Hand Luke," only reinforce how mediocre this one really is.)
"The Last Castle" is rated R for prison violence (beatings and shootings), as well as some explosive mayhem, occasional use of strong profanity, gore and use of vulgar gestures and crude sexual slang terms, as well as some racial epithets. Running time: 129 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com