On occasion Hollywood seems to take it upon itself to deliver a movie battle of epic proportions, in which two incredibly similar movies are released in the same year, and we the people must decide which one is better. 1997 it was Dante's Peak vs. Volcano. 1998 saw Deep Impact vs. Armageddon and Antz vs. A Bug's Life. 2013 we had Olympus Has Fallen vs. White House Down. And in 2023 we've had Guy Ritchie's The Covenant vs. Kandahar and - continuing on the military theme - The Great Escaper vs. The Last Rifleman. That last one includes two movies that are based on the tale of Bernard Jordan, the man who at 89 years of age famously disappeared from his retirement home in the south of England only to show up in Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. And while The Great Escaper is more directly based on Jordan's story, The Last Rifleman takes a more loosely based approach, but does at least capture something of the spirit of the man's journey.
Pierce Brosnan leads this heart-warming tale with a charming performance, as Artie battles a series of obstacles - including his own ill-health - to return to France to honour his fallen comrades and maybe even find a little peace for himself. Along the way he encounters a series of random strangers including Clemence Poésy's French tourist, American and German veterans played by John Amos and Jürgen Prochnow, and an Irish journalist following Artie's story played by Desmond Eastwood. All of whom share some touching moments with Artie, and although some can feel a little fleeting, they are all satisfyingly impactful as they help Artie on his journey - both spiritual and literal.
Inevitably, such a journey - despite being fictional - can be quite the emotional ringer. In his portrayal of Artie, Brosnan genuinely looks like a man living with ghosts. And yet, director Terry Loane still manages to add a light-hearted - at times, even jovial - feel to The Last Rifleman. It is after all, a road trip movie. One last adventure for an old soldier, which is exactly what the movie feels like; an adventure, as he smuggles himself into post-Brexit Europe. Somehow 'hitchhiking' doesn't quite cover it. Not that that stops Artie from trying! But it does beg the question; 'what's the penalty for smuggling an OAP across borders?' Loane brings out the comedy in these antics without taking anything from the meaning behind the journey. In some way then, it's a shame to think that with its loose take on Bernard Jordan's story and a straight to home media release, The Last Rifleman will always live in the shadow of The Great Escaper, which at the very least is the more memorable of the two.
Pierce Brosnan delivers a charming performance in this fun but emotional tale that does justice to story that inspired it, even though it's doomed to live in the shadow of Sir Michael Caine's final film.
7/10
The Last Rifleman is available to watch on Sky Cinema and Now TV.
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