In 1985, Charles Durning was riding high, coming off back-to-back Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). Arguably, he was at the peak of his career, with plenty of goodwill built up. To celebrate, he decided to take the starring role in Stand Alone, a post–Death Wish clone that sees his character, a WWII vet, take on his neighborhood’s drug pushers and gangbangers.In retrospect, it seems like an odd choice, doesn’t it? Here’s the thing, though — if you’re familiar with Durning, you know that despite his girth*, the man had fleet feet and could get fun and fancy-free** at the drop of a hat. Along with Wayne Knight, Durning is one of the more agile big-man actors to ever do it. While Stand Alone is really nothing more than a reheated version of a Republican wet dream (with an odd TV-movie-of-the-week vibe), Durning brings it and single-handedly makes the movie worth a watch. The legendary character actor delivers both warmth and steely-eyed intensity in his role as a man who just “can’t take it no more.”Sadly, the rest of Stand Alone isn’t up to par with Durning’s performance. The narrative drags leading up to the final showdown, and despite a solid supporting cast (James Keach and Pam Grier), no one makes much of an impression outside of Durning. That ultimately leaves Stand Alone notable mainly for fans of the “King of Character Actors” or vigilante action-thriller diehards.* Which makes the poster art kind of unfortunate, with the illustration shaving at least 100 pounds off the actor’s frame… like a big man can’t wreck shop?** See The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas or True Confessions for evidence.
Stand Alone is a perfectly adequate drama/action-thriller. But see- that right there is the problem. There's not a whole lot the movie does to differentiate itself from other pictures just like it. When war veteran Louis Thibadeau (Charles Durning), witnesses a cold-blooded murder at a local mom & pop restaurant (a gruesome incident which inadvertently paints a huge target on his back), what we're left with is your typical "lone man vs. violent street gangs", fare.Think Death Wish or the Dirty Harry franchise, if you stripped those films of all their edge, intrigue, and badassery. It's the kind of film where our hero is faced with one incredibly difficult (if mildly uninspired), dilemma: to keep his head down and stand idly by, or to take action and fight for what's right?To the film's credit, it's Durning's performance which elevates the relatively simple story at play; it's what brings a sense of emotion and weight to what would have been an otherwise forgettable project. The real tragedy here, is that neither our screenwriter Roy Carlson, nor our director Alan Beattie were able to push their premise any further. Try as they may, the end result is never as compelling or as hard-hitting as it could have been. However, with all that said- Stand Alone still makes for some passable entertainment- that is, if you've already plowed your way through the vast array of inarguably superior Bronson and Eastwood vehicles.
I like Charles Durning, but it's unfortunate the largest takeaway here is how much girth they removed from him on the film poster. The iconic Mustard Tiger's "Whacha lookin' at meh gut ferr!?" did not cease from my mind once the connection was made. To give this average film some credit, it's not at all that average for the 80s. In fact, it's a breath of fresh air from the decade's blinding machismo while still holding moral nuance within America's patriotic grandeur. The good citizen doing right and the world's men choosing impotence as backlash from "the greatest generation", are fascinating topics. As I said, there's some depth to the proceedings, but they're a bit washed away from a real dull first half and some ham-fisted set pieces. Not to mention the synth score is dreadful.
