TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

udar55 Syndicate wheelman Harry Garmes (George C. Scott) comes out of a nine year retirement to do one last job that involves ferrying escaped con Paul (Tony Musante) and his girl Claudie (Trish Van Devere) over the French border. Naturally, things do go as planned as their rendezvous is a set-up to kill the duo and Harry takes action. If you like the misanthropy on display in other early 70s Scott flicks like RAGE (1972) and THE NEW CENTURIONS (1972), than this is for you. This is a great little action flick that is really working on two levels, kinda like the same year's VANISHING POINT (what a great time for fans of esoteric action!). Garmes laments about the enemy of time and the car he so meticulously takes care of becomes a symbol of the man himself as it slowly starts to wear down over this tough journey. Apparently Scott feuded so much with original helmer John Huston that he quit and was replaced by Richard Fleisher. Fleisher uses the beautiful mountain roads of Spain to stage some great car chases, all set to a fantastic score by Jerry Goldsmith.

rce-5 This is a movie I would love to see come out on DVD or VHS, and am surprised after all these years it hasn't.George C. Scott is the real reason to see this picture. An intimate portrayal of retired mobster driver/runner Harry Garmes, and certainly one of Scott's best performances. The other reason to see The Last Run (1971) is the final and true love of his character's life, his 1957 BMW 503. They are a pair, and after 9 years of quiet retirement in Portugal, (filmed on location in and around Malaga), Garmes is feeling the old love of the chase surfacing again.Lonely, bored and disappointed in the realities of retired life, he accepts an assignment to pick up a young hit man sprung from prison, and transport him (and unexpectedly his girlfriend, too) across the border into Spain. Of course, the prospect of one last run in the tradition of his former profession excites Garmes, and his "hobbies" of tinkering with his vintage supercharged sports car and gun become once again professional realities for him.The chase scenes, especially between Garmes and his '57 BMW and the hit men's Jaguar XJS, are superb, without the special effects permeating films made since, and the whole movie somehow conveys a "vintage" and authentic feel, from Garmes' leather flight jacket to his supercharged old friend and partner. His sensitive acting is a study in an empathetic yet unsympathetic portrayal of Garmes, and George C. Scott fans will not be disappointed.The downside of the picture is the at times ponderous and clumsy direction and also the other characters, (excepting Colleen Dewhurst, who in a near cameo is at her earthy and gritty best). The picture has an overtone of at times depressing realism, and this might well have triumphed under skillful direction. John Huston began the film from all accounts, and it's a pity he didn't complete the picture. The pace drags at times, and there are some truly awful and lame scenes, especially the incredibly disappointing and mawkish ending, which Huston never would have permitted. If it weren't for these, this could have been a great film. But if you can overlook such and appreciate Scott, his vintage car, and the chase scenes, it is a memorable movie.Will it ever be available in DVD or VHS? Hope so! -RC Evans

davebeedon Possible spoiler about the endingOthers have adequately described the plot. I saw this movie shortly after it came out and loved it. Being able to see it again was a treat---like visiting a friend one hasn't seen in years (in this case, 34 years). The best aspect of the movie is that it respects the act of thinking and portrays it with pauses, facial expressions, and moments of no dialog. Underlying the main character's actions and attitudes was a bleak, fatalistic view of life (existentialism?). While I dislike "action" for action's sake, I enjoyed the car chase sequences because they served to define the main character's profession and mental state. And in spite of the well-shot car chases, this is not an action movie. Rather, it is about the actions that people take and the reasons for their doing so. Though the main character was a retired crook, I liked him, and felt sorry for him because he was double-crossed by his employers. It hurt me to see him discover that his fisherman friend Miguel had been killed. The young woman's cynical manipulation angered me but I felt sorry for her because she was making choices about life that were guaranteed to make it a miserable one. The Tony Musante character was immature, heartless, and despicable: I hated him. That he seemed to get away in the end was a letdown.Just before the end there is a pair of camera shots that reek of symbolism and were my favorite moments: when the policeman turns off the ignition of the battered car, the main character, who is elsewhere, dies. This understated and underrated film was a delight.

Jonathon Dabell The Last Run was originally a John Huston project, but in the end it was taken up and completed by maverick director Richard Fleischer. Often, a change of personnel affects the film, but in this case, Fleischer has fashioned a decent thriller with picturesque locations and a tight plot.It's all about a getaway driver from Chicago who has settled down to a peaceful life in a Portugese fishing village. He is hired to drive a gangster and his girlfriend to the French border, under total assurance that the job is strictly routine. However, it turns out that the whole thing is a set-up, and that the gangster is the target of some killers. Getaway driver, gangster, and gangster's girlfriend all flee back to Portugal, pursued by their enemies.The characters are quite cold and cynical and don't appeal to the audience a great deal. This hurts the film, because it's awfully hard to care a damn about what happens to them. The film also suffers from a typically downbeat ending (as, indeed, many films from this era do). However, it has exciting moments and is always pleasing to the eye. The chase plot is gripping throughout and really helps to compensate for some of the not-so-good aspects.