“A taut, surprising, compelling film noir. Well-acted and extremely well shot on the streets of Los Angeles at night. I thoroughly enjoyed it!”
This Last Lonely Place is a twisted, noir-drenched drive through the dark streets and back alleys of Los Angeles.
Sam Taylor has returned from the war nearly deaf. He lives in a rundown downtown hotel and drives a yellow cab. One dark night in Beverly Hills, investment banker Frank Devore, slides into the taxi's back seat. Throwing $500 cash over the seat, Frank says "turn off the meter and just drive." Needing the money, Sam does as he's told. Nervous, and fueled by too much whiskey, Frank complains about his wife and confesses to a shady investment scheme. He's on the run, headed for a private jet. They pick up his beautiful and scheming mistress - the high-end escort Faye Gardner. She has a gun. An unspeakable crime has been committed. Something has gone horribly wrong. Sam is now at their mercy. As this long and bloody evening progresses - through the lonely streets and back alleys of Los Angeles - the dark layers of deceit come to light.
Lust. Greed. Murder. Some things never change.
“Beautiful, with taut direction and great performances. Not a false note.”
“Anderson pulls off a neat feat of cinematic three-card monte, keeping the viewers guessing right up to the end as to who these people really are and what their ultimate fate will be. It’s a fast and clever ride that doesn’t steer away from a bracingly bleak climax.”
“A fine tuned, pitch dark noir. Anderson and his cast excel in creating a thoroughly compelling, character-driven piece of neo-pulp. A near perfect sense of tragedy and black humor. When it comes to L.A. films at night, “This Last Lonely Place” is as mythic as Mann’s “Collateral” or Winding Refn’s “Drive.”
“A superb film. Classic film noir, through and through, with mystery, sex, betrayal, femme fatales, and sharp twists and turns. The characters are superbly played. L.A. hasn’t been this gorgeous and definitive on film in years.”
“Visceral and confronting it ticks all the boxes: tight scripting and dialog, fluid editing, solid acting, assured direction and visually inventive.
The cinematography of Patrick Meade Jones is lush and assured, a real feel of a big city late at night. Rhys Coiro, Xander Berkeley and Carly Pope are pitch perfect in their portrayals and thoroughly convincing. Pope’s black widow is a master-class in malevolence.”
