This is a movie I would love to see come out on DVD or VHS, and am surprised after all these years it hasn't.
George C. Scott is the real reason to see this picture. An intimate portrayal of retired mobster driver/runner Harry Garmes, and certainly one of Scott's best performances. The other reason to see The Last Run (1971) is the final and true love of his character's life, his 1957 BMW 503. They are a pair, and after 9 years of quiet retirement in Portugal, (filmed on location in and around Malaga), Garmes is feeling the old love of the chase surfacing again.
Lonely, bored and disappointed in the realities of retired life, he accepts an assignment to pick up a young hit man sprung from prison, and transport him (and unexpectedly his girlfriend, too) across the border into Spain. Of course, the prospect of one last run in the tradition of his former profession excites Garmes, and his "hobbies" of tinkering with his vintage supercharged sports car and gun become once again professional realities for him.
The chase scenes, especially between Garmes and his '57 BMW and the hit men's Jaguar XJS, are superb, without the special effects permeating films made since, and the whole movie somehow conveys a "vintage" and authentic feel, from Garmes' leather flight jacket to his supercharged old friend and partner. His sensitive acting is a study in an empathetic yet unsympathetic portrayal of Garmes, and George C. Scott fans will not be disappointed.
The downside of the picture is the at times ponderous and clumsy direction and also the other characters, (excepting Colleen Dewhurst, who in a near cameo is at her earthy and gritty best). The picture has an overtone of at times depressing realism, and this might well have triumphed under skillful direction. John Huston began the film from all accounts, and it's a pity he didn't complete the picture. The pace drags at times, and there are some truly awful and lame scenes, especially the incredibly disappointing and mawkish ending, which Huston never would have permitted. If it weren't for these, this could have been a great film. But if you can overlook such and appreciate Scott, his vintage car, and the chase scenes, it is a memorable movie.
Will it ever be available in DVD or VHS? Hope so! -RC Evans
George C. Scott is the real reason to see this picture. An intimate portrayal of retired mobster driver/runner Harry Garmes, and certainly one of Scott's best performances. The other reason to see The Last Run (1971) is the final and true love of his character's life, his 1957 BMW 503. They are a pair, and after 9 years of quiet retirement in Portugal, (filmed on location in and around Malaga), Garmes is feeling the old love of the chase surfacing again.
Lonely, bored and disappointed in the realities of retired life, he accepts an assignment to pick up a young hit man sprung from prison, and transport him (and unexpectedly his girlfriend, too) across the border into Spain. Of course, the prospect of one last run in the tradition of his former profession excites Garmes, and his "hobbies" of tinkering with his vintage supercharged sports car and gun become once again professional realities for him.
The chase scenes, especially between Garmes and his '57 BMW and the hit men's Jaguar XJS, are superb, without the special effects permeating films made since, and the whole movie somehow conveys a "vintage" and authentic feel, from Garmes' leather flight jacket to his supercharged old friend and partner. His sensitive acting is a study in an empathetic yet unsympathetic portrayal of Garmes, and George C. Scott fans will not be disappointed.
The downside of the picture is the at times ponderous and clumsy direction and also the other characters, (excepting Colleen Dewhurst, who in a near cameo is at her earthy and gritty best). The picture has an overtone of at times depressing realism, and this might well have triumphed under skillful direction. John Huston began the film from all accounts, and it's a pity he didn't complete the picture. The pace drags at times, and there are some truly awful and lame scenes, especially the incredibly disappointing and mawkish ending, which Huston never would have permitted. If it weren't for these, this could have been a great film. But if you can overlook such and appreciate Scott, his vintage car, and the chase scenes, it is a memorable movie.
Will it ever be available in DVD or VHS? Hope so! -RC Evans