Last County

A tense standoff erupts into bloodshed in Barrett Mulholland's Last County, a wonderfully entertaining Canadian pulp ensemble piece that seems to be so under the radar it took me like a half hour of scrolling on Tubi to come across it. A young woman (Kaelen Ohm from the now infamous horror series From) struggling with alcoholism is trying to dry out at a family vacation home in rural Ontario when an injured drug mule (Gord Randy) shows up and immediately takes her hostage. Inevitably other, far more dangerous people come looking for him and some money he's stashed in the nearby woodlands and things get incredibly tense and liable to explode into gunfire. The real asset this film has is Canadian character actor Nicholas Campbell (remember him from DaVinci's Inquest back in the day?) as the cheerfully psychotic, utterly ruthless yet still somehow quaintly charming local sheriff. He is proudly corrupt and will kill anyone who gets in the way of him finding this cash, but not before exchanging pleasantries first. Campbell, once an angular antihero type, has aged lovably into a shambling silver haired sage, a sort of "Father Christmas of the backroads" archetype and he's equal parts hilarious and terrifying here, creating a villain who is fun to hate, easy to love and hilarious to spend time around. This is a hidden gem in the true sense of the word, a grisly exercise in tightly wound one location suspense that is brutal to the maximum, but has just as many comedic flourishes to soften the blows. Great film.

**Movie Review: Grossly Overrated**

I had high expectations for this movie, especially given its impressive rating of 8. However, after watching it, I can only conclude that it deserves no more than a 6.5 at best.

The plot was predictable, and the characters were one-dimensional. What should have been a captivating story on paper turned out to be a poorly constructed mess. The acting was mediocre, and the dialogues often felt forced and unrealistic. The cinematography and special effects, which usually have the potential to elevate a film, couldn't compensate for its shortcomings.

It is outrageous that they are charging 5 euros for such a poor-quality film on Pathé home. For this price, I expect at least a decently crafted production, something this film utterly fails to deliver. The high rating is completely misplaced and does not reflect reality. It seems something went terribly wrong in the evaluation of this movie, as the end result is simply disappointing.

In summary, this movie is not worth watching, and its rating of 8 is absolutely undeserved. Save yourself the effort and the money; this film is not worth your time or the cost.

"Last County" is an absolute triumph of genre-blending brilliance. This film combines gritty action, dark humor, and heartfelt drama in a way that feels both fresh and nostalgic.

The chemistry between the leads is electric, with their performances delivering both depth and charisma. The script balances sharp wit with poignant moments, all set against a backdrop of atmospheric country landscapes and a pulsating soundtrack that perfectly complements the film's tone.

The film excels in its ability to craft suspenseful sequences while maintaining a sly sense of humor. It's a masterclass in creating tension without losing the human touch. The direction is tight, the pacing relentless, and the plot is both surprising and satisfying.

I streamed this on Prime recently & noticed it was only a 3/5 star rating. The trailer looked like it had decent potential plus I'm not overly influenced by other people's opinions because when it comes to films, we all see things in our own way, have different tastes & perspectives, & some people, whether consciously or not, may not truly appreciate a film as much when there are no familiar actors/director involved such as this film, all were unfamiliar to me at least. Regardless of the reason for the lower Prime rating, I'm glad to see more positive reviews here on IMDB. While I'd never seen/heard of anyone involved in this film, I can say that the acting was really quite good & clearly the director has a lot of talent too so I look forward to seeing more from him as well as the leads. Solid & believable plot, well developed for the most part, though I would like to have seen a little more development for Bennet & his young friend's back story, though for the story the film tells, their backstory was sufficient enough. More important was Abby's backstory which was well fleshed out, & the sheriff's personal life definitely added occasional moments of levity & humor, making this villain a little more relatable even as it's clear he's totally unredeemable.

I think that the cinematography & even more so the soundtrack for films is very important as it really sets the tone of the atmospherics for better or worse, & this film really got it right with both. The films pacing was well done. It really kept me engaged start to finish & without even the slightest twinge of doubt regarding my choice to watch it. I really hate finishing an entire movie even though I've been having doubts since halfway through a film while holding onto hope that the ending will make it worth the watch, but then the ending does absolutely nothing to redeem the film, thus rendering it's entire runtime a total waste of MY time. THIS film was NOT one of those! I also noticed the occasional dark humor which was well placed & helped make this a more rounded film overall.

Last County is one of the best low budget films I've seen in a long while. I highly recommend watching.

Visceral. Evocative. Unapologetic. Captures the feeling of desperation leading to action. Attention to detail is prevalent in every scene from framing to audio design. A labour of love, and a love letter to cinema as an art form. Wasn't expecting the levels of suspense and twists it managed. Even 2/3rds through it still managed to keep me on my toes. Thematic exploration of the duality of man, banality of evil, survival. A greyscale gradient of moral relativism. This film begs to be re-examined and dissected multiple times to capture the nuances lovingly baked into every frame. Pseudo cinéma vérité. With significant gravitas.