Last Run

My best friend kept telling me about this movie he'd seen with his dad recently, "Last Run" with Armand Assante. So I finally rented it, and I'm glad I did. It's not perfect by any stretch, but it "knows what it is." That is, the filmmakers had a strict budget and it appears they worked hard to get everything they could on-screen without over-reaching themselves. The plot is pretty standard spy stuff--the action and Eastern European locations had me thinking of "Ronin" and "The Bourne Identity"--yet it was compelling to watch (the cemetery firefight was a thing of beauty).

Armand Assante chewed the scenery pretty well, which was a good thing--because when he emotes, he enunciates. But when he falls into his calmer, deep-throated growl, he might as well be speaking gibberish, he's so hard to understand. Again, not a perfect movie, but if you like the post-Cold War spy genre, you'll find this one worth a rental.

Dear All, This exceptional movie proves once again who can you trust?. The plot is greatly narrated at times where Armand thoughts come alive. And he wonders at times if serving your country as a spy is really worth the time and trouble. I enjoyed this movie and own a copy on DVD. The places used to shoot various scenes are very pictureque. Although the swearing at times was unnecessary.This a very gritty production and needs your undivided attention to grasp the whole story. Don't look for everything to explode!!! It's a "cold war" thinkers flick and if we really had thought about it there would not have been a cold war.

Keith.Charles@ubs.com

I might have enjoyed this movie more if I had been able to understand the dialogue. I THINK it was in English (mostly), but who could tell with all the mushmouths? I expected better from Armand Assante, at least.

Only one actor in this entire movie enunciated clearly enough for me to understand his lines, but unfortunately we don't see him until half way through the film.

That actor was the unforgettable Juergen Prochnow (best known for his role as the U-boat captain in DAS BOOT), as former KGB-chief Andrus Bukarin.

The plot was thin, the good guys were completely unbelievable as covert operatives, the ending was anti-climactic, and some of the scenes were downright laughable (like the one with the English (or was he an Aussie or a Kiwi? I couldn't quite nail the accent) speaking German to a Romanian circus girl).

I suppose this is what I get for being such a Prochnow junkie that I'll watch almost any movie in which he appears.

At least Wing Commander had a few good laughs (and overall excellent acting), particularly the send-up of DAS BOOT.

"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)

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.