Needless to say, “The Last Castle” thus had its appeal. The story focuses on an American military prison and stars one of Hollywood’s greatest icons, Robert Redford. While Redford has made his share of stinkers (“Indecent Proposal,” “Up Close And Personal” and “Havana” quickly come to mind), he always has a charisma that makes his films strangely appealing. He also starred in one of the better prison films ever made, 1980's “Brubaker.”

Adding to the film’s draw was the fact that Redford would be squaring off against James Gandolfini in his first major role since he struck paydirt as New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano on HBO’s “The Sopranos.” And while not a terrible film by any standard, “The Last Castle” is disappointing.

Robert Redford plays Lt. General Eugene Irwin, a commander’s commander who spent six years being tortured as a P.O.W. in Hanoi having led forces in the Gulf War. As the film opens, we learn that Irwin has been court-martialed and is about to arrive at this unnamed prison; it is not until an hour later that we learn of the offense that landed Irwin here. This delay, instead of adding suspense, only detracts from the film.

The prison’s commander, Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini), has long been an admirer of Irwin’s. He greets him as though he were a foreign dignitary and even requests that he autograph a copy of his book, entitled The Burden Of Command. Winter tries to impress Irwin with his collection of weapons used in battles through history, but Irwin inadvertently insults him by saying that collectors of military paraphernalia are generally those who have never seen combat. Winter, who has never been in a war and is considered by the brass to be merely a bureaucrat, therefore takes umbrage at Irwin’s comment. The battle for king of the prison, euphemistically referred to as “the castle,” is underway.

The inmates try to enlist Irwin to help them with their grievances about the brutal prison life. He curtly dismisses their complaints with a more eloquent version of “if you can’t do the time then you shouldn’t do the crime” speech. Irwin simply wants to do his time. His standoffish attitude changes, however, when a gentle prisoner named Aguilar (Clifford Collins, Jr.) is tortured by Winter for having saluted the new inmate. Irwin becomes a leader once again by instilling respect in his fellow prisoners.

The chief problem is that there is no chemistry between Redford and Gandolfini. Their few face-to-face scenes do not cause the expected angry sparks, and there is also a paucity of the requisite cutting humor between the two antagonists. The pair could have learned something from Burt Reynolds and Eddie Albert, who frequently go at it in “The Longest Yard.”

Gandolfini also seems particularly tentative in this film, a trait unlikely designed for his character. Odds are he was trying so hard to distance himself from Tony Soprano that he never was able to be comfortable with this character.

The actor who should benefit most from “The Last Castle” is Mark Ruffalo, who plays Yates, the resident bookie and potential Judas to his fellow inmates. He also does his own stunts in this film, most notably one with a helicopter in the film’s climax. Ruffalo is far and away the most interesting actor in this flick, and he will undoubtedly continue to shine in better films than this one.