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the audience applauded

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I waited for years to see this film, and I must say its a complete disappointment. Not one second did I believe that George C. Scotts character would risk his life for the gangster and his moll. Trish Van Devere was completely miscast in this part, as she appears too nice to engage in the manipulation she dishes out in the film. Actually, all the characters are unbelievable, and the acting is self-conscious, as if everyone is aware they are in a production. Perhaps this is a result of the many script changes and change of directors,it has an uneven, pasted together feel to it. And was George C. Scott's character life so empty for him to align himself with these people? The film did not show that. In fact he seems to have some strong and loyal friendships in the beginning of the film. Please don't say I don't understand the film-I do, it just was not very good. To see a good film from writer Alan Sharpe's work, see "Night Moves."

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

Subtlety is everything in understanding the Last Run. It is a movie about lost dreams and lives that didn't turn out quite like things were planned. The protagonist is not old Harry Garmes, retired and living the good life, a beautiful spot in seaside Portugal. If anything, Harry is the antagonist: he is the one who made it past all the danger only to be caught up in the real web of life. Harry thought life would be perfect, but it isn't. He wakes up at the beginning of this film and discovers he has nothing, despite having almost everything he thought he wanted. As others have said, this is existential, to be sure, but so beautifully sublime, I could only wish more movies were made like this, replete with beautiful cars for those who know, in contrast to the flashy but horrid handling boats like the bloated 428 Mustangs.The protagonist is the car, the exquisite BMW 503. Harry comes back to the car, not all the other things surrounding the plot. He resurrects the car along with himself. Watch the careful way he sets the floats, listens to the engine the old way, with a rubber tube. He does it carefully, step by step dusting himself off at the same time. he does it with devotion and love. Harry knows that things aren't as important as living and he only feels alive when driving the car. Harry comes alive when he is driving "her" and he is only too happy to make one more run for his old employer's friends. He wants to feel again, something that the pain of life has beaten out of him slowly. Remember, Harry retired 9 years before;he knows he's a dinosaur, just like his car. He knows he is dying, albeit of complacency and scar tissue, and wants a chance at life... one more chance to be alive. He wants to dance with someone he loves. His driving mirrors real life. His love is really the car, the only thing he has left of which he is capable of loving, Trish Van Devere's underwear notwithstanding. To any car buff, the sound of the supercharger engaged in this car is a thrill beyond measure. There are no fat tires, no suspensions on the ground, no huge engines. In fact, the 503, cum supercharger wasn't even all that fast in its day. In 1971, the XJ6 with a 4.2 liter engine would have made a good match for the old Beemer. Tony Musante is perfect in the guise of the young action oriented hit-man who can only have fun by hurting and killing things. It's a perfect scenario of the modern world steamrolling art. When you add the scenery and a gorgeous Trish Van Devere, who I think later married George C., Colleen Dewhurst, whose acting is stunning, how can anyone think of a better action movie? Subtlety in art is better than flash and tinsel. Nevertheless, maybe it would lose in a ballot to what passes for art these days.

The Last Run was originally a John Huston project, but in the end it was taken up and completed by maverick director Richard Fleischer. Often, a change of personnel affects the film, but in this case, Fleischer has fashioned a decent thriller with picturesque locations and a tight plot.It's all about a getaway driver from Chicago who has settled down to a peaceful life in a Portugese fishing village. He is hired to drive a gangster and his girlfriend to the French border, under total assurance that the job is strictly routine. However, it turns out that the whole thing is a set-up, and that the gangster is the target of some killers. Getaway driver, gangster, and gangster's girlfriend all flee back to Portugal, pursued by their enemies.The characters are quite cold and cynical and don't appeal to the audience a great deal. This hurts the film, because it's awfully hard to care a damn about what happens to them. The film also suffers from a typically downbeat ending (as, indeed, many films from this era do). However, it has exciting moments and is always pleasing to the eye. The chase plot is gripping throughout and really helps to compensate for some of the not-so-good aspects.