The Last Deal review

The Last Deal doesn’t need an A-list star and larger marketing budget to get its well-earned early 2023 don’t miss buzz.

Based on a true story, The Last Deal explores the fallout of the legalization of marijuana in California from the perspective of a black market dealer realizing his thriving empire is on the verge of collapsing.

‘The Green Rush’ is rapidly dying out for Vince (Anthony Molinari, Tenet), who was raking in millions and running a tight operation when weed was an illegal commodity.

Vince started small enough before learning the ins and outs to be successful to the point he’s delegating grunt work like delivering to a fleet of drivers.

Business was so good Vince recruited Bobby (Mister Fitzgerald), to be his muscle and ultimately partner in the venture.

Once lawmakers and corporations dipped their toes into the very profitable market, Vince has to go through a slew of red tape to get street legal in selling. Vince tries to get compliant in this new weed order filing for licenses that just aren’t getting approved.

Reading the giant sized neon writing on the wall, Vince knows the gig is almost up and plans to make one big payday.

With funds and options drying up, Vince and Bobby agree to buy some product from a shady group of sellers. Only catch is their cost is more than Vince has in the bank so he’s got to get a loan from one of Bobby’s bosses (Sala Baker).

With his hair pulled back and rocking dark sunglasses inside, The Boss does not seem like the type Vince wants to cross.

Baker played Sauron in the Lord of the Rings films and still looks just as imposing without the layered armor plating. Still, The Boss randomly quotes Empire Strikes Back, so how bad could he really be? Of course that line was from Darth Vader so…

Recognizing how bad this situation will get if he can’t repay the loan, Vince agrees to the deal explaining to Bobby that he’s tired of walking around in fear.

Just to complicate things further, Vince is also questioning if he’s really got a longtime future with his aspiring actress girlfriend Tabitha (Jeffri Lauren) as she’s starting to make some big moves.

Vince isn’t a career criminal so he misses some obvious red flags. He’s been running his weed business on the up and up never really needing to get deep into full on gangster mode.

When things predictably go bad, Vince has to scramble to repay the debt or come up with an alternative means to stay alive.

This might be where Director/screenwriter Jonathan Salemi shines. The setup is familiar — small scale criminal gets in over his head and becomes desperate for a solution — but Salemi takes some interesting avenues to get to the end game.

Just when it seems like the film has settled in to a formulaic approach, Salemi introduces a new twist to shake things up. While this is a action thriller, Salemi finds some natural pockets for some legit humor as well as tense action sequences.

The Last Deal might be a smaller scale production, but it doesn’t look like it was done on the cheap. Salemi keeps interior set choices intimate and making smart use of exterior locations.

Too many indie action thrillers suffer from lousy or obnoxious scores, but composer Tony Fiala does a commendable job of setting the tone in a noninvasive manner.

Molinari has had most of his Hollywood success as a stuntman, but shows he’s fully capable of being a leading man with the right material. He sells Vince’s mounting desperation well while avoiding the temptation to ham it up. Molinari’s restraint allows Vince to come off like a real person caught up in a bad situation.

Fitzgerald is enjoyable as the on edge Bobby, which helps create a welcome sense of suspicion. Lauren, Kenny Johnston, Orion McCabe, Mike Ferguson and April Lang also provide solid supporting performances.

It’s not going to get the benefit of a blockbuster marketing blitz, but The Last Deal is absolutely worth seeking out for action thriller fans searching for a new cinematic high.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Photo Credit: Scatena & Rosner Films