The Last Lullaby

This is a good movie. Compared to your average "blockbuster" thriller movie that comes out in theatres these days, I would consider it a great movie. There is some serious violence, which, while cool (from your average guy's standpoint) does not detract from the movie's purpose, which is to delve deep into the souls of the two main characters (who give great performances, by the way). This is done quite effectively with the help of unique cinematography and mesmerizing sounds (which includes some long periods without dialogue).

If you like the mystery/thriller, I don't think you could help but enjoy this one.

Does he kill her or does he not? The Last Lullaby from first time feature film director Jeffrey Goodman holds you in suspense in the plot-driven film that has enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. His casting is brilliant as Tom Sizemore's intensity and inner conflicts are so realistic that somehow the viewer finds himself pulling for this hit man. Sizemore's intensity contrasts perfectly with Sasha Alexander's vulnerability. His character Price has been hired to kill her, but how can you kill someone who has been a victim for so long? Goodman's treatment of the narrative by Max Alan Collins and Peter Biegen employs a brilliant combination of non-graphic violence against a pastoral, yet frequently menacing backdrop. His gorgeous panoramic shots contrasted with extreme close-ups is unusual in a film with this size budget. His deliberately slow pace enhances the suspense and is a much needed respite from the noisy,frenetic world in which most of us live. His audio is at the proper decibel level, and his choice and use of music is the best that I have witnessed in any recent film.

I predict great things for this talented director.

"The Last Lullaby" opens with a wonderful shot of the always captivating Tom Sizemore looking even MORE intriguing than usual: staring up at a ceiling fan in an eerily lit bedroom in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. So, he does what he usually does when this happens: gets in his car and trolls the local convenience store.

And this is where the film really lost me: he encounters a group of dim-witted thugs virtually broadcasting the fact that they're holding a girl hostage nearby. Sizemore, being the proverbial hit man in "retirement," naturally follows them to check it out. I know that it's sometimes hard to make every event in a script seem plausible or organic, but if you're going to toss the audience a whopper like this one, save it for the last reel. This development really sabotaged the film for me. If it didn't for you, I envy you.

Seriously...there's a lot of great stuff here. Yes, the basic plot has been done to death, but seldom with the realism and warmth of the performances given by Sizemore and Sasha Alexander, who plays the woman he's hired to kill. I hesitate to reveal more of the plot because this film needs all the surprises it can spring on you.

The plot is the biggest boner here, and not just at the start. As Sizemore gets closer to Alexander, of course he begins to develop an attachment to her. This leads us into some situations that are so over-the-top and obvious, there's no way Alexander could not suspect his true motives. This is "explained" later on in the film, but to ill effect.

I really wanted to like this film more because, overall, the acting is exemplary...I just wished the script had given the actors more to hang their hats on. Most of it you can see coming a mile away.

I drove to Dallas for the festival. Lullaby was first movie I saw. Wow! I wish all the entries were that good! It kept me in my seat from beginning to end. A movie without a potty break in the middle is an unheard of thing for me. I particularly liked the pace of the movie. It is a bit slower and more quiet that the usual Hollywood fare. Sizemore did a great job of blowing life into Price. His emotion felt real to me. An introverted, socially awkward ex-hit man requires some subtlety. Sizemore nailed it. The ending kept coming back to me for days after the movie. The movie is, as a friend of mine says about truly interesting things, "a thing that make you say, hmm".

It's hard to believe this is a first-time feature effort for director Jeffrey Goodman. It passed my ultimate movie test: I was never bored for a moment, nor did my attention waver. The spare dialog, the juxtaposition of the loud, jarring gunshots with the quiet pace of the movie, the inexorable drawing-together of Price and Sarah, were woven together beautifully to create a memorable movie. Tom Sizemore says volumes without saying a word. His tortured face and body language say it all. The fact that this is something of a comeback film for the brilliant Mr. Sizemore, whose past behavior has not been consistent with his talents, makes it even more delicious to watch. Bravo to Jeffrey Goodman for a terrific movie!