This Friday Arnold Schwarzenegger returns bigger than he once did in The Expendables and Terminator: Salvation with the action sequel The Expendables 2, though he’s back yet again in only a limited capacity. But the former Governator’s true return to the big screen is instead headed for release as soon as the calendar turns 2013 with his first leading action role in years via The Last Stand.

Also featuring the Hollywood debut of acclaimed director Kim Ji-woon, the film is set to have a solid cast behind the ex-Terminator star to bring hopefully a worthwhile experience to theaters for fans. Today, we get a first taste of that experience as the trailer for The Last Stand has just hit online, giving us plenty of impressive action sequences to gaze over.

After leaving his LAPD narcotics post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with remorse and regret, Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) moved out of Los Angeles and settled into a life fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction. But that peaceful existence is shattered when Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the western hemisphere, makes a deadly yet spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy.

With the help of a fierce band of lawless mercenaries led by the icy Burrell (Peter Stormare), Cortez begins racing towards the US-Mexico border at 250 mph in a specially-outfitted Corvette ZR1 with a hostage in tow. Cortez’ path: straight through Summerton Junction, where the whole of the U.S. law enforcement, including Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) will have their final opportunity to intercept him before the violent fugitive slips across the border forever.

At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately rallies his team and takes the matter into his own hands, setting the stage for a classic showdown.

Co-starring Jaimie Alexander, Johnny Knoxville, Luis Guzman and more while directed by Kim Ji-woon, The Last Stand hits theaters on January 18th, 2013.