The Last Stop in Yuma County, 2024.
Written and Directed by Francis Galluppi.
Starring Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake, Nicholas Logan, Faizon Love, Michael Abbott Jr., Gene Jones, Robin Bartlett, Sierra McCormick, Connor Paolo, Ryan Masson, Alex Essoe, Sam Huntington, Jon Proudstar, Barbara Crampton, Robert Broski, and Matt McVay.
SYNOPSIS:
While stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop, a traveling salesman is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty or cold, hard steel to protect their bloodstained fortune.
The rhubarb pie is to die for. Plastered on a sign attached to the outside wall of a diner in the middle of nowhere, writer/director Francis Galluppi and director of photography Mac Fisken keep that image in the background of a scene as if it’s a foreboding warning, except its not pie that’s going to get people killed. However, chasing after a slice of a different kind of pie has a high chance of proving to be dangerous in The Last Stop in Yuma County, a single-location potboiler set during an unspecified time period that resembles the 1970s, centered on an array of colorful characters stranded inside the aforementioned diner with a busted air conditioner, awaiting the arrival of a truck driver to refuel the adjacent gas station, which also happens to be the only one for a long stretch.
While none of these characters are particularly deep, the story gets the most out of the tried-and-true messaging about greed, as a pair of bank robbers on the run happen to be also stuck in this diner. They are Travis (Nicholas Logan as the more bumbling comic relief half of the duo, sporting an amusing shirt that says “Bigfoot for president”) and Beau (a quietly terrifying Richard Brake who only raises his voice when necessary), taking control of the diner by intimidation and force. A mad dash by waitress Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) to phone her sheriff husband Charlie (Michael Abbott Jr.) for help is squashed, gas station owner Vernon (Faizon Love) has no idea what’s happening, and the diner itself is filled up with patrons (such as an elderly couple played by Gene Jones and Robin Bartlett) having coffee and meals awaiting the chance to refuel their vehicles.
In the corner of the diner is a quiet, mild-mannered, nameless traveling knife salesman played by the supremely talented, seemingly underappreciated Jim Cummings (seek out all of his directorial efforts, which he also stars in, if you haven’t and especially if you like what you see here.) Business also doesn’t seem to be hot, although his reason for passing through this diner is simply because it’s en route to visit his daughter. He mostly sticks to filling in the blanks on a newspaper crossword puzzle, often remaining silent, as if he is patiently waiting for the right moment to make a move.
This traveling salesman is certainly the protagonist, although The Last Stop in Yuma County greatly balances time between all characters, including ones not at the diner; there are scenes at the police station offering insight into the marriage between sheriff and waitress. The point is that when violence escalates, it is downright shocking how gutsy Francis Galluppi disposes of key characters. Much of the film is also shot utilizing tracking shots to demonstrate a sense of geography regarding the characters’ locations. Even simple details, such as tension rising during sweltering heat, are smart, creative decisions that add to the atmosphere here.
From there, The Last Stop in Yuma County transitions into an attempted escape with the money, and while I won’t spoil who that involves, it should be mentioned that it’s thrilling regarding how Francis Galluppi never loses that claustrophobic suspense. Characters still converge on a path of violence in a crowd-pleasing fashion. Again, one would be hard-pressed to find depth here, but that’s fine, considering how flat-out awesome this movie is. There is twisted glee in the take-no-prisoners manner in which the film unfolds, or watching desperate souls dig their graves, killing each other over this money.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
