Last the Night

Do not - I cannot stress this enough- piss off a burned out teacher with anger issues while he's going through a divorce. I had zero expectations for this movie, an indie with almost nothing available in the way of reviews from critics and a premiere with absolutely no attention on pay per view. I waited for it to be available on Prime or Tubi, but it would have been worth a rental. Brian Austin Green plays the aforementioned teacher and gives a performance that makes you wonder why he doesn't work more. The rest of the cast is as good, there's not a subpar performance anywhere. The only flaw really is we could use a little more backstory on how the teacher got to this point, but as it is this is solid entertainment and better than a lot of thrillers that get theatrical runs these days.

Brian Austin Green lost his wife, his daughter, and all respect on campus. So, he goes crazy. Throw in some covid masks and you have a bad C thriller done on a budget.

I'm not sure why there are so many repetitive reviews (bots maybe??), but the film is decent at best. The writing could've used more edits and some serious thinking about the subject at hand given the amount of school shooting instances in recent news. However, there were some redeemable qualities about the storyline.

Regarding the actors, David Valdes did a wonderful job making his character funny, relatable, and down-to-earth. Acoryé White also had a great performance, making his character the most emotionally charged, generating a lot of empathy from the viewer's end. Julia Quang portrayed an interesting character and had some good scenes, but I don't think the writer knows a lot about teenagers or teenage romance. Makena Taylor didn't actually captivate my attention. I thought her performance lacked conviction, emotional range, and she looked dazed for half the film. Brian Austin Green had a good performance, but some elements of the story made the character a bit confusing and a sort of joker-wannabe without the cinematic thriller effect.

Lastly, although the concept is interesting, the overall writing and execution weakened the delivery. This is a film good for a one-time watch.

IN A NUTSHELL: During the pandemic, a burned-out teacher on the verge of a breakdown overhears his students making fun of him in a zoom class and vows revenge.

The violent movie was directed by Nick Leisure with co-writing help from Tom Chilcoat. Nick Leisure also

With all of the school shootings and revenge murders we've had lately in this country, this movie seems problematic and will hit a disturbing chord with many viewers.

THINGS I LIKED: The cast includes Brian Austin Green and a group of politically-correct diverse teens: Eve Mauro, Makena Taylor, Acorye White, and David Valdes.

It's fairly suspenseful.

A lot of high school teachers will be able to relate to the many frustrations the protagonist has with his job, especially during the pandemic. I personally know teachers who quit their jobs during the Covid quarantine because it was so stressful for them.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: None of the characters are likable at all. The problem with that is you don't feel invested in anyone living or dying. They're all terrible people, so you might even want them all to die.

What public high school class only has 4 students in it? The budget must have been very low that it couldn't afford a few Extras.

I've always enjoyed suspenseful thrillers that go on for hours to feature characters trying to survive an entire night against all odds. The ordeal at the school seemed to only last a couple of hours.

There are a few super cheesy scenes with melodramatic music in Act 3.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity, a million F-bombs, and crude language Violence Teens talk about intimate relations Teens drink alcohol A teenage boy is naked. We see a quick view from the back, although other characters react to seeing him from the front.

A security guard smokes weed.

We see bloody murders.

A teen flips the bird a couple of times.

Paintball guns and real guns are used.

THEMES: Revenge Authority Public education Pandemic Paintball Politics Disrespect to teachers Hubris

Just something about the beard, his mannerisms and tone of voice tells me that the casting director wanted Jake Johnson but perhaps couldn't afford him or maybe he declined knowing it would be a bomb.

That being said, pretty average revenge film really. Not enough grit nor substance. Not even any frontal nudity. I think the writer may have had a message in their somewhere but failed to execute it.