“I’ll be back.” Love or hate him, Arnold Schwarzenegger has managed to become: Mr. Universe, a Hollywood icon, husband to a Kennedy and Governor of California. He set out to become extraordinary and has achieved all of his lofty goals by the age of 65. He wasn’t lying when he said those famous words… while it may not be a Tarantino comeback, he’s still got the on-screen muscle to pull off an Austrian Sheriff at a Mexican border town.

It’s a little far-fetched, but it’s Arnie and fans are willing to accept the legend in just about any role, as long as he’s got permission to tag ‘n bag, rattle off some cheesy one-liners or both. In The Last Stand, Schwarzenegger plays Ray Owens an upstanding Sheriff, whose small town becomes the only thing between an escaped leader of a notorious drug cartel and the Mexican border.

It’s a goofy mash-up of Seven Samurai and The A-Team, in which a Sheriff and his bumbling crew of locals are commissioned by government authorities to stop an outlaw from crossing the Mexican border. The Last Stand isn’t pretending to be anything more than a shoot ’em up with a few car chases and some Schwarzenegger charm thrown in, and that’s why it works.

Schwarzenegger’s face has aged considerably and they’ve tried to cover up comparisons to Clint Eastwood with Aviator sunglasses. It’s expected from an ordinary 65-year-old but special rules apply to The Terminator, whose body is still in great condition. Yet, there’s something in all of us that wants to believe that invincibility and immortality go hand-in-hand. The actor will live on celluloid forever, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hide the fact when it seems like he’s struggling to belt out one-liners.

“I EM ZA LOHR.”

Schwarzenegger may be a one-man Hollywood army, but he can’t go it alone. He’s supported by Forest Whitaker, Luis Guzmán, Eduardo Noriega and Peter Stormare, with a sideshow performance from Jackass stunt clown, Johnny Knoxville. Whitaker delivers a generic agent performance, Guzmán churns out a bumbling second-in-command, Noriega is a convincing super-villain, Stormare musters the usual sleazy captain of the henchmen and Knoxville spices things up with some over-the-top comedy.

The Last Stand is Jee-woon Kim’s Hollywood debut, after directing a slew of critically acclaimed multi-genre films in: A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life, I Saw The Devil and The Good, The Bad and The Weird. Jee-woon Kim’s name may not be as famous as a John Woo, but his eagerness resonates with great promise in this fast-paced, violent and tongue-in-cheek action-comedy.

Schwarzenegger’s “comeback” movie isn’t going to bust any brain cells or win any awards, but adds heaps of entertainment value in all its action glory, gun-toting madness, holster comedy and popcorn splendor. The performances are on-target, the cinematography has flair, the simple premise has clout and the action is gun-in-cheek. The Last Stand is the sort of Schwarzenegger fodder that will appease action junkies and satisfy fans.

The bottom line: Gut-busting