Les Complices de la dernière chance

Well made dramatic thriller about an ex-driver for the mob, now retired and living on a beach with nothing else to do, and nothing else he knows how to do. When he's called upon after nine years to perform a job he takes it, simply to see if he can still do it. Scott is the best reason to watch this other-wise standard chase film; As the aging driver who's lost everything and has nothing to do but die, he is masterful. This is one of his finest (and most under-rated) performances. An engaging film with some intense moments of action and a great existentialist feel to it. Doesn't quite hit it's mark at times, but worth-while for Scott. Good photography.

*** out of ****

The plot is simple: an aging criminal getaway driver stumbles out of semi-retirement for one last job and ends up getting more than he bargained for. It's the stuff film noir writers have dreamed up for years. But in Richard Fleischer's "The Last Run", released in 1971 and starring George C. Scott, it feels refreshingly original and brash.

A troubled production from the start, "The Last Run" barreled through several directors (including John Huston) before Fleischer came on board. It probably wouldn't have been quite as successful without the star status of Scott... an interestingly low budget choice for an actor spring boarding off his home run performance in the blockbuster "Patton" a year earlier. And it is Scott who gives the film its grizzled pessimism... portraying his character Harry Garmes as a guy who understands the consequences of a lifetime on the fringes. He doesn't wink at the audience and for that, "The Last Run" is a seriously overlooked film that ranks with "The Outfit" and "Prime Cut" as three no-nonsense early 70's examples of the crime picture done amazingly right.

George C Scott plays Harry Garmes, a former getaway driver who comes out of retirement to prove to himself he hasn't lost his touch. He lives in a small Portugese fishing village, but he isn't fulfilled; he views retirement as preparation for death and goes behind the wheel again to inject some vitality into his existence. What promises to be a straightforward job, however, brings him unexpected challenges. The film boasts suspenseful car chases, impressive cinematography, a good script and a compelling performance from George C Scott as the cynical driver who gets more than he bargains for as he chauffeurs an escaped prisoner and his girlfriend across country. The film is thought-provoking, it deals with love, death, regret, frustration and determination, and coupled with tension and suspense makes it a memorable ride.

Other viewers' comments, both negative and positive, have aptly classified this film's genre. Those with inclination toward existentialist thought (e.g., why are we here and what are the best options before embracing the void?) generally like it. I think the film great and wish it were available on DVD. Others find it vapid. Yet I think the theme similar to that found in Blade Runner or Pierrot le Fou - though different from, say, Kafka's Metamophosis, or The Trial, or from Camus' The Stranger, etc., in that this film's protagonist undergoes emotional development - along with another character who fears her fate and sees no other path to follow.

Our protagonist's past life as an underworld character is significant not in the cops-and-robbers sense, but rather as an earmark of his "loner" personality - like Camus' Stranger. He's a retired individualist - like Blade Runner's Deckard - who after a career on the "outside" is sucked against his will into a melee of action and intrigue. All he'd longed for was to finish out his days in peace - in Portugal - though one can wonder if his automotive hobby (his surrogate child) and petty daily ritual could really have sustained him - yet such is the trap some see themselves born into; perhaps an earlier, unexpected coup de grace isn't to be under-appreciated.

A really excellent film, written by the wonderful and neglected Alan Sharp (see Night Moves). Scott is great and in an era of endless explosions and car chases, this is a welcome, intelligent relief.

Richard Fleisher did several good early noir films before his late career as a hack TV director. Also, this background reminds one of Frears film The Hit. (or is it The Last Hit?)...anyway,the writing is first rate, as always with Sharp and the characters quite memorable. Why is it so overlooked? This is the kind of genre piece that simply doesn't get made anymore. All performances are solid --- and I also have to wonder at the career of Richard Fleisher. From something as good as this, to his late work will remain a filmic enigma.