Last Straw

Director: Alan Scott Neal

Cast: Jessica Belkin, Taylor Kowalski, Jeremy Sisto

Release Date: September 20, 2024 (Theatrical/VOD)

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

A young waitress working the overnight shift alone at a rural, roadside diner finds herself in a fight for her life when she’s terrorized by a group of masked assailants.  With no one to turn to, she will do everything she can to survive the night, even if it means striking back.

‘Last Straw’ tells the story of a young waitress who is working the late shift at a rural roadside diner owned by her father. Expecting a simple night with few to no customers and little to do other than simply be there, things take a twisted turn when a group of masked men begin taunting her as night rolls over the small town. Pushed to her wits end as the group begins taking their harassment to more terrifying places, she is eventually left with only one option; to fight back and try to take them down before it’s too late.

Directed by Alan Scott Neal from a screenplay written by Taylor Sardoni, Alan Scott Neal does a capable job at the helm of ‘Last Straw’ which marks his feature length directorial debut guiding along the dark ride with notable tension and a few twists along the way. The film’s cast includes Jessica Belkin (Hunt Club), Taylor Kowalski (MaXXXine), Joji Otani-Hansen (First Date (Short), Chris Lopes (Metal Lords), Jeremy Sisto (TV’s FBI) and Glen Gould (TV’s Tulsa King), along with more and the majority offer capable and generally solid performances for the most part in each of their respective roles.

‘Last Straw’ is an unsettling look at an evening of chaos and rage-fueled violence, with a bleak aura and tone that builds the tension throughout and at times to an unpleasant level. It takes viewers along for a twisted ride into terror that borrows in many respects from home invasion thrillers and then switches up the location to a quiet and unpopulated diner. It does a commendable job of building the uncertainty and mystery until things finally go off the rails, and then it does something truly unexpected and completely switches up the narrative and takes us down a different dark path that’s perhaps more unhinged and disturbing than how it began before returning to the present with a new perspective on the whole ordeal as things really get moving.

The film keeps most of the violence happening either off screen or from a distance which often helps to make the effect of it all the more disturbing as it pans above or away while exuding a bleak vibe as the sounds play out or it pans to the next scene, while the small amount that does happen onscreen is equally unpleasant in its delivery. Director Alan Scott Neal really knows how to get under your skin and the unnerving tension keeps the viewer adequately on edge and uncomfortable for a large portion of the film.

Overall, ‘Last Straw’ is an intense and at times brutal ride that takes a somewhat basic premise and then utilizes a perfect sense of dread and unpleasantness paired with some clever and unexpected choices and twists in order to craft something quite unique with it all. It may not be an overly groundbreaking or unforgettable horror film but it excels beyond the realm of average largely thanks to its tone and a few smart surprises. Director Alan Scott Neal does an impressive job of building the tension and then switching things up on the viewer when we least expect it, while always maintaining an eerily dark sense of hopelessness with glimmers of promise occasionally seeping through for our heroine and his solid work behind the camera is nicely boosted by some solid performances from much of the key cast. If you tend to enjoy a well-made home invasion film with some slasher-like elements thrown into the mix, then ‘Last Straw’ is definitely worth checking out.

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Film Rating: 7.5/10

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‘Last Straw’ Arrives in Select Theaters & on VOD September 20, 2024 From Shout! Studios

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