Last Straw (2023)
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Duration: 83 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Alan Scott Neal
Stars: Jessica Belkin, Jeremy Sisto and Taylor Kowalski
IMDb score:
5,5 (6.340)
Releasedate: 10 November 2023
Last Straw plot
A young waitress works in a roadside restaurant in the countryside. Working a late shift, her life takes a terrifying turn when she becomes the target of a group of masked attackers. As the night unfolds, the waitress must muster all her strength to survive.
Actors and actresses
Nancy Osborn
Edward Osborn
Tabitha
Sheriff Brooks
Drug Dealer
Jackson
Jake Collins
Paddy
Coop
Samantha
Reviews & comments
remorz
-
- 2497 messages
- 2739 votes
A bit of a strange structure, this film. Wants to be different just a little too much but also throws its own windows in the process.
The film opens with a call to emergency services, and then jumps back to what came before:
When main character Nancy is the only one working in a diner somewhere in rural America one evening, she is attacked by some masked youths. When she calls the police in panic, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse.
The “home” invasion bit that follows is the strongest. But when the first mask comes off, the narrative flips and we get to see the same events again but from a different perspective. Something similar happened recently in I See You and just like there, this film is basically left hanging from that point: with the punch line revealed, it’s a wait until the film (robbed of tension) has caught up with itself and the story can continue (from the spoiled scene in the opening, that is).
The film may have a sequel, but it doesn't have any real surprises in store.
Try not to get annoyed by the inconsistent acting or the dialogues that seem very written; there are some nice shots and also in terms of lighting and sound it sometimes manages to come out surprisingly atmospheric. Modest synthy soundtrack does it no wrong either.
Tight, tight sufficient 2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
-
- 11345 messages
- 6677 votes
Typical almost film in which director Alan Scott Neal experiments with the narrative structure, but does not manage to do much with it. The alternation between perspectives is worked out rather short-sightedly and has little added value, only that it breaks up a nice pace rather unfortunately. Fortunately, the acting is nice and the film looks neat as a production, in which enough is going on quickly to effectively chase away boredom. Unfortunately, Last Straw falls short on almost every element, especially the murders are not brutal enough to leave any impression. In principle, fellow user remorz manages to describe my feeling effectively, because the second half works towards something to a certain extent, but it never really surprises. That is always a bit of a shame in smaller projects that clearly do their best.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrkos
-
- 1032 messages
- 1805 votes
Last Straw
Last Straw is a horror thriller about a young waitress who is confronted with a threatening situation during a night shift at a remote roadside diner. As the night progresses, the tension escalates and she is forced to go to extremes to survive.
The film has two faces. The first part, in which the leading actress has to deal with masked robbers, is exciting and entertaining. The introduction is not too long and the tension is built up well.
After the twist, however, the film loses credibility. While it’s understandable that Jake is frustrated about being fired, a simple phone call to her father could have solved everything. That his “last straw” turns out so extreme feels over the top. The fact that the rest of the crew partially cooperates with his plan makes it even more unrealistic, as do some of the characters’ other choices.
It's not the acting; it's fine. Nancy was portrayed as an unsympathetic character, but at the end, when she talks to her friend, the reasons for her behavior become clear. Jessica Belkin managed to convey this convincingly. Visually, there is also little to criticize. The choice of a remote roadside restaurant as a location created a successful, claustrophobic atmosphere that supports the tension well.
In short, a reasonable thriller with sufficient tension, but with a story that sometimes feels too far-fetched.
2.5 stars
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