The Last Stop in Yuma County review
With a rare deliberate slow burn that explosively proves worth the wait, a fantastic ensemble and a smart script, The Last Stop in Yuma County is one of the year’s best surprises.
Director/Screenwriter Francis Galluppi sets the crime thriller in the early 1980s. A more contemporary setting would prove problematic with the narrative as technology would render some obstacles moot.
A knife salesman (Jim Cummings, Halloween Kills) is taking a break from making pitches. He’s en route to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. The trek through Yuma County is a long one and his gas tank is running on empty. Good news. There’s a gas station up ahead. The not so bad news? The fuel tanker is running late so the station is also on fumes.
Fortunately, the helpful owner, Vernon (Faizon Love), suggests the salesman relax in the next-door diner. The friendly waitress/owner Caroline (Jocelin Donahue, Insidious: Chapter Two) is chatty, but not overly so. And she offers a slice of rhubarb pie for the salesman’s daughter.
The arrival of Beau (Richard Brake, The Virtuoso) and Travis (Nicholas Logan) put a damper on the morning. Caroline and the knife salesman both heard about the bank robbery earlier in the day and their car resembles the getaway vehicle.
While Travis is oblivious, Beau sizes them up correctly and warns Caroline to act like it’s just another normal day. Since all they need is gas, once the tanker arrives, they’ll be on their way.
Only problem is more soon to be stranded drivers arrive. They get disappointed over the lack of gas and head to the diner. Caroline craftily continues to try to get word to her sheriff husband (Michael Abbott Jr.), but to no avail.
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A film like Yuma County requires the characters to act with a certain amount of recklessness. Or at least a less strict sense of self-preservation. For some characters that aids in the entertainment value. With others, it’s less satisfying. The setup requires certain events playing out that won’t be viewer pleasing, but it’s unavoidable.
Galluppi could have shaved about 10-12 minutes off the run time to eliminate some of the tedious, slower moments. He establishes the tension and uneasiness so well. Whether from a lingering glace, the offhand gesture or some object in the background, Galluppi expertly builds to the big payoff.
The knife salesman is the best approximation of a main character, but Yuma County is more of an ensemble with no weak links. Gene Jones and Robin Bartlett play an old married couple used to each other’s quirks.
Sierra McCormick and Ryan Masson are a younger couple that fashion themselves a modern Bonnie and Clyde, Jon Proudstar is a local who loves Caroline’s gravy and biscuits and Connor Paolo and Barbara Crampton comprise the rest of the sheriff’s staff. The cast is dialed in to their roles and create strong characters in brief spotlight segments.
Just as it feels like the film is nestling comfortably into its second act, Galluppi changes the rules. It’s a pretty startling shift in tone but takes Yuma County from entertaining enough character study to a memorable crime thriller.
Galluppi puts well fleshed-out characters in a very unusual scenario and their responses are not at all predictable. Yes, there’s some notion that there’s no hope for humanity, but Yuma County makes this play out in the most entertaining car wreck manner possible. There’s the thought you probably don’t want to keep seeing all of this madness occurring, but it’s hard to look away.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Well Go USA Entertainment