Last Run

I feel kinda sorry that LAST RUN didn`t get a theatrical release. It is a perfect B-film that Joel Silver and Jerry Bruckeheimer should be churning out between blockbusters. Hickox masterfully direct East European locations, as good as Michael Oblowitz on a good day.

The plot is straight eighties spy yarn. A team of ex-CIA enforcers are hired to extract a former Soviet bigwig that has some useful post-Cold War know-how. The team is led by hardboiled Assante who lost his wife in the last extraction job.

The script follows the plot and gives us enough detail to care for the characters, gives us enough suspense and twists to care for the plot and sets up some nice action set-pieces.

Sadly, Hickox never cut it in mainstream Hollywood and his resume is quite mixed, look at bizarre failure JILL RIPPS or INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY but in this one he does some A-work with a direct-to-video budget. Every set-piece is smart and juggular and able to grip you by the neck and yet never blow early and uncover the flat budget. Give this man a 25-million-per-actioner-Joel-Silver-treatment (ROMEO MUST DIE, EXIT WOUNDS, CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE) and he`ll outgun Bartkowiak by a mile.

The problem with Hickox making it in Hollywood is that his filmography is too hectic for PR managers. The director of JILL RIPPS is a hard-sell. It is so sad that PR schemes are more important than actual movies in contemporary Hollywood. I cherished the times when Anthony`s dad Douglas was making pictures, when directors were either auteurs or anonymous executors hired to make pictures for pictures` sake. And yet I hope there are enough people unaffected by this PR business who can enjoy a good B-movie and consider Hickox an author that he truly is.

I hope Hickox yet unreleased film BLAST! that seems to be heading to theatres proves to be a surprise hit. We need this man back!

I think to say about this movie is that it's not bad for a B-film. Armand Assante has shown a lot of character and depth to his role. As Frank Banner, he doesn't liked to be jerked around by anyone, anywhere. When his pregnant wife was killed during the move of defectors, Frank took this thing very seriously. Bringing back the crew may not have been easy, it was worth the attempt. Giving the amount of money would make anyone comeback to work for the Government. Leo(Robert Foxxe) was a formative, yet seedy character who would do anything to put Banner on the payroll again. Filled with philosophical interpretations, this movie wasn't boring. And the sacrifices the fighters made were heroic. At least Jana, the widow of a fighter didn't lose her life. For Frank, he got the bigger pay than any of his superiors, if it wasn't for the book "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. This reaps the rewards to other spy films. It was subtly entertaining from the beginning to the end. Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

This is a bad movie. The story seemed decent enough. Sadly, that was before I saw the film. Eastern Europe, present, linked to happenings in the last period of the cold war. Our "Hero" tries to escort a man named Bukarin from one place to another. Bukarin is a man many people want. That's the main plot in this movie. For the details, just skip them. It's too difficult to get the whole picture anyway. The scriptwriters did a really lousy job writing the story for this movie, that's for sure. On top of that, the action scenes aren't thrilling either. And for the acting, well, just forget about it.

Avoid this one, it's just a big waste of time.

Sure, like most films of this genre there are some holes in the plot. But when it's filmed beautifully, in some stunning locations, and well- acted, especially by Armand Assante who spends the whole movie glowering as if he's about to explode, then it's easy to forget a few logic leaps and just enjoy this movie. There are some great chase sequences, and some good tension, and it keeps you guessing. Forgive the flaws, appreciate the scenery, and appreciate an above-average spy thriller.

"Last Run" is all about Asante, an ex-CIA operative in the Communist bloc whose position was made defunct by the end the the cold war and who is paid to escort a wanted-dead-or-alive Soviet ex-security chief to the West against all odds. "Last Run" is an okay Budapest location shoot with Asante serving as a solid centerpiece. However, there's insufficient character development to give us an emotional connection, the action is little more than a lot of shootouts, the drama is mostly lots of scurrying and skulking, and the story is so convoluted it's difficult to follow. Worth a look for the bleary eyed couch potato and Asante fans. (C)