Last Action Hero (1993)
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A young boy is magically transported into the world of his favorite action movie franchise.
The story
10-year-old Danny Madigan lives in a crime-ridden area of New York City with his widowed mother Irene. Following his father's death, Danny takes comfort in watching action movies, especially a series featuring Los Angeles cop Jack Slater, at a condemned movie theater. When he is given a golden ticket to an early screening of the latest installment, the ticket stub transports Danny into the fictional world, interrupting Slater during a car chase. Slater takes Danny to LAPD headquarters, where Danny points out evidence of Slater's fictional world. Slater's supervisor, Lieutenant Dekker, assigns Danny as his partner, and they begin to investigate criminal activities related to mafia boss Tony Vivaldi.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being transported into the film world, Danny and Slater investigate the activities of mafia boss Tony Vivaldi. They encounter Vivaldi's henchman, Mr. Benedict, who discovers the ticket's power to travel between worlds. After a series of events where they stop Vivaldi's plans, Benedict escapes to the real world to target the actor playing Slater, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the real world, a desperate Slater is eventually rescued by Danny, who uses the ticket to send him back to his fictional world where his injuries are healed. The film concludes with a split between the two worlds, where Danny returns to his life and Slater remains in his own, both acknowledging the unique nature of their respective realities.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 131
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John McTiernan
- Writers
- Zak Penn · story; Adam Leff · story; Shane Black · screenplay; David Arnott · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Arnold Schwarzenegger · Jack Slater; Austin O'Brien · Danny Madigan; Charles Dance · Mr. Benedict; Robert Prosky · Nick; Tom Noonan · the Ripper; Frank McRae · Lieutenant Dekker; Anthony Quinn · Tony Vivaldi; Bridgette Wilson · Whitney Slater
- Genres
- fantasy; action; comedy
- Themes
- metafiction; reality vs. fiction
- Tone and mood
- satirical; parody
- Setting
- New York City and a fictionalized Los Angeles.
- Premise and plot tags
- meta-fiction; action-comedy; multiverse
- Source material / true-story basis
- original screenplay
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was considered a critical and commercial disappointment at the time of its release, though it has since gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 42% · scale: percentage · review count: 55; Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: 100 · review count: 19; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Director · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Screenplay · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst New Star · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Original Song · nomination; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Picture · nomination; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Actor · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Fantasy Film · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Actor · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Director · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Writing · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Performance by a Young Actor · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Costume Design · nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Special Effects · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to have an advertisement placed on a space-going rocket.; The film was the first to be released using Sony Dynamic Digital Sound.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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