“Last Stop, Yuma County” is a tense thriller that patiently builds tension until it reaches a climax.
Though sometimes seeming too patient, writer-director Francis Galuppi, making his feature debut, assembles a talented cast of character actors, united in a stuffy diner as if they're sitting on a pile of dynamite and someone has already lit the fuse. It's darkly funny, a version of the type of movie we've seen before: add more and more people in bad situations until something goes wrong, but different enough to stand out.
Well, it was actually filmed in California, which, all things considered, is good news for Yuma County residents.
What is “Last Stop in Yuma County” about?
Set in 1973 (if the Arizona license plate is any indication), the film begins with a man identified only as a knife salesman, played by Jim Cummings, pulling into a dusty desert gas station where the station's owner, Vernon (Fazon Love), informs him that the pumps are empty; the next station is 100 miles away; a fuel truck has arrived and suggests he wait in the diner, where there's at least air conditioning.
Want to take a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Except not today. Charlotte (Jocelyn Donahue), a waitress dropped off by her husband Charlie (Michael Abbott Jr.), tells the knife salesman she's offering him coffee and his famous rhubarb pie, but he's just on his way to Carlsbad to see his daughter, who is living with his ex-wife and her new father-in-law.
A knife salesman in his car hears on the radio that a bank robbery has happened in Buckeye. He sees two robbers driving off in a green Ford Pinto. Guess who stops at the gas station and wants gas? It's Beau (Richard Brake, really menacing) and his dull brother Travis (Nicholas Logan) who are the bank robbers.
The Fall Guy Review:Insane, outrageous and fascinating
They are forced to wait and are not happy about it. The knife salesman has seen through them and they find out. The plan is for them to all wait until the gas truck arrives, but it seems Bo has a more sinister plan.
Before you know it, several more people show up wanting gas. (Among them is the great Gene Jones, last seen in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” playing a cranky old man who just wants to get his car going like everyone else.)
A rookie deputy (Connor Paolo) arrives but isn't sharp enough to realize that something is wrong, but when he meets Charlotte later, she doesn't seem well, so he asks if she's OK.
no kidding.
(Charlie's secretary is played by horror movie queen Barbara Crampton.)
There are a few clumsy, half-hearted attempts at escape — Beau threatens Charlotte to ask the new customers if they have gas or a truck waiting — then Pete (John Proudstar, who played Willie Jack's dad, Leon, in “Reservation Dogs”) shows up for breakfast — and, finally, things start to move.
Galuppi is merciless with his characters.
There's been plenty of humor so far, but it's all taken on a darker tinge because the audience knows what's really going on, even if all the characters don't. Jones's old man speaks for everyone when the other characters detail their ridiculous plans to keep everyone alive: “It sounds like a brilliant plan, but I really don't think it's likely,” he says.
Indeed, Galuppi is relentless in his depiction of violence and characters. The action is fast and furious, and over sooner than you'd expect, and rather than the balletic choreography of movie shootouts, they're as messy and random as real life, which makes the film all the more meaningful and effective.
Tom Petty sang that “the waiting” is the hardest part. He wasn't talking about the movie (that I know of), but in this case, the waiting is actually the most fun part. Watching the tension build, knowing that something will fall apart at some point, and wondering how it's going to start is the most effective part of the movie.
Character motivations are a bit lost, and while the acting is good, there are probably too many characters to make it as lean and mean-spirited as Galuppi clearly intends. But Last Stop at Yuma is a promising debut, and it's nice to see actors you've seen elsewhere get a chance to stretch a bit. If you enjoy watching tension build, this is dark fun. Why not?
“Last Stop in Yuma County” 3.5 stars
Excellent ★★★★★ Good ★★★★
Average ★★★ Bad ★★ Worst ★
director: Francis Galuppi.
cast: Jim Cummings, Jocelyn Donahue, Richard Brake.
evaluation: Rated R for violence and language.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, May 10th.
Arrived at Goody Koontz Bill.Goodikunz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm.X: nice. apply Weekly Movie Newsletter.
Subscribe to azcentral.com now. What are you waiting for?
