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Two bank robbers take the hostess and her only customer at a rural Arizona diner hostage. Last Stop in Yuma Countyis a nifty little crime drama available to rent or buy on VOD platforms worldwide. The performances of a diverse cast of actors form the foundation for a taut thriller that ratchets up the tension to breaking point and explodes with violence.
Last Stop in Yuma Countysimilarly titled Latest Yuba County Newsstars Jim Cummings as a mild-mannered knife salesman who travels to Carlsbad for his daughter's birthday, and when he stops to get gas at a remote station in the middle of the Arizona desert, he is informed by the clerk, Vernon (Fazon Love), that the fuel truck is delayed today and the next station is 100 miles away.
Taking refuge in the diner next door, the knife salesman befriends the friendly hostess Charlotte (Jocelyn Donahue) and is later joined by several others looking to kill time while waiting for gas, but the dim-witted Travis (Nicholas Logan) and cool customer Beau (Richard Brake) aren't just passing through: they've robbed a nearby bank and are now on the run.
The knife salesman hears the description of the robbers' Pinto on the radio and quickly figures out their identity, gently letting Charlotte know, but he soon ends up wishing he hadn't, as Beau soon figures out their deduction and puts the pair in an uneasy hostage situation while he and his partner wait for a fuel truck… or another vehicle for them to steal.
At first it's easy, but it gets harder as more and more customers ask for gas throughout the day, including an elderly couple (Jean Jones and Robin Bartlett), a Bonnie and Clyde-like duo of young people (Ryan Masson and Sierra McCormick), the local deputy sheriff (Connor Paolo), and Charlotte's husband, the sheriff (Michael Abbott Jr.).
Last Stop in Yuma County The film is filled with familiar faces, each of whom contributes a lot to enhancing the mostly one-dimensional characterizations, but that's fine for a film like this, where limited screen time must establish diverse characters and drive the story.
Particularly effective here is the brake (Mandy And recently Strangers: Chapter 1), John McGregor, who plays a key role as a particularly terrifying murderer, and Jones, who shared an unforgettable scene with Javier Bardem in Star Wars Episode I: The Last Jedi. No Country for Old Men Recently, Martin Scorsese Killer of the Flower Moon) plays an older man who is oblivious to the slowly building tension around him.
My one complaint is that we don't have much insight into these characters, so later scenes in which they make difficult decisions and cross moral lines don't quite work as well as they might have if we knew or cared more about these characters. Last Stop in Yuma County It is completely captivating from start to finish, and you will never get bored despite the short running time.
Despite being the debut film for writer/director Francis Galuppi, Last Stop in Yuma County is a solid piece of work that holds its own against big-budget Hollywood films, and despite some clever twists in the screenplay, Galuppi never lasts long enough to lose the sense of tension he has carefully built throughout the story.
Last Stop in Yuma County The film is less practical than its noir setting would suggest, and is peppered with wry humor, recalling the early work of Joel and Ethan Coen.Blood Simple) or Sam Raimi (Repent Or, especially in the final scene, A simple plan) Galuppi is already new evil dead movie.
