It’s easy to see why writer/director Francis Galluppi is already set to helm a new Evil Dead movie in the wake of his feature debut, The Last Stop in Yuma County. There’s a savage sense of humor and mean streak to Galluppi’s tense, dusty neo-noir western, even as it escalates the pressure cooker scenario. It helps that the film’s charismatic ensemble cast is filled with horror stalwarts, one that Galluppi fearlessly culls through with raucous glee, making for an insanely fun single-location thriller.
A massively delayed fuel truck strands various passersby and travelers at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, all waiting to fuel their vehicles so they can move on. That begins with the Knife Salesman (Jim Cummings), who arrives before diner waitress Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue, The House of the Devil) gets dropped off for her shift by her Sheriff husband (The Dark and the Wicked’s Michael Abbott Jr.). Taking up the corner booth at the front of the diner, the Knife Salesman keeps a vigilant eye out for the truck, which makes him the first to realize that newcomers Travis (Nicholas Logan) and Beau (Richard Brake) are newly wanted bank robbers.
It begins a high-stakes hostage situation that only continues to escalate as more people arrive.
Galluppi complicates a simple and familiar pressure cooker setup with richly textured characters. It’s a dialogue-heavy effort that lets us fall hard for the quirky bunch stuck together in a desolate diner before the shit finally hits the proverbial fan. Cummings gets the most to do on that front despite his character never revealing a proper name, which feels reminiscent of Ash Williams for his timid, passive approach to the chaos. Still, each actor gets a moment to shine, whether through standoff action or sharp barbs to trade, ensuring that when the deaths start coming, they hurt.
And Galluppi isn’t afraid to kill any of his darlings. Who’s left standing by the day’s end becomes just as surprising as the insanely entertaining journey getting there.
It’s Galluppi’s dark, demented sense of humor that keeps his debut grounded even as its massive cast grows even bigger, nearly spiraling the emerging chaos out of the filmmaker’s grasp. A couple of late additions in Ryan Masson and Sierra McCormick threaten to topple over the carefully stacked house of cards, adding just a touch too much insanity to the mix, but it’s quickly quelled once the violence explodes.
More than just sharp writing and clever world-building, The Last Stop in Yuma County punches above its weight in terms of budget. The single location setting is richly textured, with production designer Charlie Textor (The Wolf of Snow Hollow) ensuring the rest stop has as much personality as the eclectic group stuck there. The vibrant color grading further enriches the production value. Despite the desolate setting, The Last Stop in Yuma County is bustling with life and boisterous personalities, reflective on screen in every facet.
The Last Stop in Yuma County adds rich complexity to its simple premise through unpredictability, palpable tension, and pitch-black humor. There’s no guessing how the wacky events will play out because there’s no predicting which one among the robust ensemble will crack under pressure or give in to temptation. Galluppi makes it so effortlessly easy to get sucked into this slick, singular world and invest in its characters, only for the filmmaker to revel in dispatching them. That impressive high-wire juggling act makes it easy to see why Galluppi already has bigger things on the horizon.
The Last Stop in Yuma County releases in theaters and on Digital on May 10, 2024.
The post ‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’ Review – An Insanely Fun Single-Location Neo-Noir Thriller appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.