From time to time a film that is virtually on no one’s radar surfaces and grabs ahold of and demands the attention of Hollywood. The 2023 incarnation of Fantastic Fest welcomed the world premiere of first time feature director and writer Francis Galluppi’s The Last Stop in Yuma County and the desert set crime thriller was the surprise of the festival.
Sometime in what is to be believed to be the late 1960s or perhaps early 1970s, a traveling knife salesman stops at a gas station looking to fill up as he rushes home to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. His hopes are quickly dashed as the station attendant informs him that the pumps are empty and fuel truck is expected at any moment, but is running behind.
The Knife Salesman takes shelter in the attached diner while he waits for the arrival of the fuel truck. As the salesman arrived at the gas station, it can be heard on the radio that there was a bank robbery nearby in the county and the two assailants are still on the loose. Once inside the diner, the salesman is greeted by Charlotte, the waitress and only employee seen at the diner.
As Charlotte and the Knife Salesman are exchanging small talk, another car pulls in looking for gas and they’re greeted with the same unfortunate news. The two jittery men who are fresh off a profitable bank heist make their way to the diner to scope out the place to make sure it is safe to hide out in.
The Knife Salesman determines from the twosome’s car and the descriptions of the men he heard on the radio that the duo is indeed the bank robbers that are on the run. He quietly alerts Charlotte to the situation, who then decides to call her husband, who happens to be the sheriff, but before she can get him on the line, she is intercepted by one of the bank robbers.
From here on, the viewer finds itself smack dab in the middle of a hostage crime thriller that can easily find influences from the Coen brothers, David Lynch and Tarantino through out its run time. Where The Last Stop in Yuma County is going next is the one question that is asked over and over. As the movie progresses more and more, patrons stop for gas or the diner’s famous rhubarb pie and find themselves unknowingly in the middle of a hostage situation. It is evident that at some point something is going to go wrong and when it does go wrong, it really goes wrong.
The inventive well-written script is brought to life by an outstanding cast that delivers the dialogue with great ease and familiarity. The film, with its numerous twists and turns, is just as equally humorous as it is tense and does not rely on all of the old crime movie tropes seen time and time again throughout the genre.
The Last Stop in Yuma County is one the best movies of 2023 that has not yet found a distribution deal, but once it is available to view, it should be on everyone’s must-watch list. With such a brilliant debut, I cannot wait to see what Francis Galluppi does next.
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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