LAST SEEN IN IDAHO
(director: Eric Colley; screenwriter: Hallie Shepherd; cinematographer: Bryant Jansen; editors: Eric Colley/Hallie Shepherd; music: Jeffery Alan Jones; cast: Hallie Shepherd (Summer), Eric Colley (Dex), Alexis Monnie (Trina), Casper Van Dien (Brock), Wes Ramsey (Franco), Shawn Christian (Lance), Connor Marx (Willis), Rachael Kevin (Mia), Paul Proios (Grady), Charlie Carella (JR), Kevin Wayne (Howie), Ted Rooney (Detective McNeeley), Richard Carmen (Mayor Clay); Runtime: 109; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Eric Colley/Hallie Shepherd; Breaking Glass Pictures; 2018)
“Unoriginal indie thriller that tacks on a supernatural twist.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Eric Colley (“G.P.S”/”The Last Rescue”) directs, co-edits and is a supporting actor in this unoriginal indie thriller that tacks on a supernatural twist of seeing into the future. Hallie Shepherd writes, stars and co-edits. The production values are good, but the attempt at film noir has credibility problems. It seems to be a film more suited for cable television. It’s set in Tacoma, Washinton, on the border with Idaho. Summer (Hallie Shepherd) is a troubled reformed teenager who works in an auto garage for the shady nice guy Dex (Eric Colley, the director). At night she witnesses in the auto shop her gangster former boyfriend Lance (Shawn Christian) and others with Dex disposing of the bodies of a politician and witness, who were killed by Lance’s sadistic hitman cousin Brock (Casper Van Dien). When Summer is spotted taking a video with her cell phone of them, Brock hits her car as it speeds off and and she jumps safely out of the rolling over car on fire. Summer awakens from a coma at the hospital, with her supportive but daffy sister Trina (Alexis Monnie) and Dex by her bedside. Summer suffers only from a loss of memory, but also now sees herself in the future being kidnapped and murdered by a rock quarry in Idaho by those in her cellphone footage. It becomes a race against the clock to see if her full memory returns before she’s killed. She’s helped by Franco (Wes Ramsey), a handsome undercover cop, planted with Lance’s gang to find the elusive big boss of the crime operation. The opening energetic action scenes promise much, but the slow moving middle part has too many flat scenes, while the ending was not believable. In the end, I was left me with a bad taste for a film that couldn’t close the deal with better storytelling. Though I loved the bad guys, who hit all the right menacing notes, I’m only recommending it as a home watch on cable for those in need of some cheap thrills.
REVIEWED ON 4/1/2019 GRADE: C+ https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/