The Last Victim

"The Last Victim" (2021) is a compelling neo-Western crime thriller that seamlessly blends the gritty atmosphere of classic film noir with the rugged spirit of the American West. This American-made film carves its own path, delivering a strong story with a focus on complex characters and a visually striking aesthetic.

Sheriff Marcus (Ron Perlman), a weary lawman haunted by a past tragedy, finds himself on the trail of a ruthless gang led by the charismatic but sociopathic Jake (Ralph Ineson). The gang's reign of terror leaves a trail of violence and despair in its wake, forcing Marcus to confront his own demons while trying to bring them to justice.

The film masterfully utilizes the stark beauty of the Southwestern landscape, employing a dusty palette and long, lingering shots to create a sense of isolation and dread. The cinematography, by Lukasz Pruchnik, is particularly impressive, capturing the harsh realities of life on the frontier while also hinting at the underlying darkness that lurks beneath the surface.

The performances are uniformly strong. Ron Perlman, as Marcus, delivers a nuanced portrayal of a man grappling with guilt and the weight of responsibility. Ralph Ineson is chillingly effective as the leader of the gang, exuding a dangerous charisma that masks a cold, calculating mind.

However, "The Last Victim" is not without its flaws. The pacing can feel uneven at times, with some scenes dragging while others feel rushed. Additionally, some plot twists may feel predictable to seasoned genre fans.

Overall:

Despite these minor shortcomings, "The Last Victim" is a worthwhile watch for fans of crime thrillers and those seeking a unique cinematic experience. Its blend of genres, strong performances, and visually striking presentation create a memorable and unsettling journey into the heart of darkness.

It wasn't a movie you had to watch, but it wasn't bad at all. However, it's a bit boring.

Action was a bit slow. But good movie to watch Friday night. Good job!

The first 90 minutes of this movie aren't horrible, but it's very slow without much of value. It has trouble investing you in the story or characters even though it spends lots of time trying to.

In the last 15 minutes it gets really stupid. And you realize how little you care about the outcome. (1 viewing, 5/20/2022)

That is my recommendation to Hollywood. If you try it, I think you will find it is win win. As for the film, the cinematographer was in love with the locale, every shot is perfectly framed. Perlman could not give a bad performance even if he wanted to. Larter, in her 40s, still connects with the audience. The dog is well played. Basically the kind of film where you spend more time thinking about how to improve it than actually enjoying it.

(2021) The Last Victim SUSPENSE THRILLER

Co-produced, co-written and directed by Naveen A. Chathapuram that has Jake (Ralph Ineson) entering a diner in the middle of the night. He goes in there with two other people waiting for him outside. And only to see a single person, eating by himself we find out his name is Manny Randowski (Tom Stevens). The waitress/ cook of the diner asks Jake what he wants to eat and while she is cooking his food, more babbling occurs and Jake shoots and kill Manny before he kills the lady in the kitchen. Old guy hears this and he comes toward the diner guns a blazing successfully kills one person, injuring the other. Jake succeeds killing him as well. Jake's friend comes in through the door, we find out his name is Snoopy (Paul Belsito). Jake is barking orders to grab the bodies and stick them in the back of their pickup. And upon trying shut the back, he cuts off one of Manny's fingers off. The following morning has the sheriff, Herman Hickey (Ron Pearlman also credited as co- executive producer) notices the finger lying on the ground picks it up before he brings it inside the diner while the other deputy, Mindy Gaboon (Camille Legg) is taking photos. The next scene introduces a young couple of Susan Orden (Ali Larter) and her husband, Richard Orden (Tahmoh Penikett) and are on vacation. We are then introduced to brothers, Bull (Kyle Schmid) and Tad (Dakota Daulby) are practicing shooting at bottles and cans. And as we see what their social life is like, it was during then Jake and Snoopy shows up, and he asks Bull where they can dump the bodies. And Bull suggests them a good place to be is the nature reserve Yay Oola. That also happens to be one of the so called hot spots the couple of Susan and Richard happen to plan to visit. Once they find out it is closed, they decide to drive around the nature reserve anyway. And it is not long before Susan is on the run forcing her to fend for her herself.

This movie would have made a great experimental perhaps as a social commentary project but not as a two hour movie as the movie left viewers with more questions than answers. I mean, I do not mind ambiguity but not that much as this movie have shown, such as why did Jake shot and kill Manny in the first place? Was it about the money or was it about a former girlfriend he had lost to him? And in all places, why shoot and kill him in a diner when their may be other times to kill him. Viewers are obvious the connection of each character considering there isn't a large population. The social commentary occurs at the end but it is like too little too late.