Writer/Director Francis Galluppi’s debut feature film Last Stop in Yuma County is a thrilling piece of nasty crime fiction starring Jim Cummings. New to Blu-ray from Well Go USA.
The Film
I love it when a movie opens with a Logo that’s been changed to reflect a different era. Bonus points, to Well Go USA allowing this and for the Logo change to an era where the Company didn’t exist (the 1970s in this instance) and the coloring and style of a very specific logo for another company that will remain nameless. Though any well-versed audience member will know the logo they’re taking inspiration from.
The logo leads us to the difference between inspiration and homage. Homage feels like a Xerox copy, though not authentic. Then there’s inspiration, an idea germinated authentically from a love of material. I mention this because writer/director Francis Galluppi’s Last Stop in Yuma County takes inspiration from the gritty crime dramas of the 1970s. Everything from Charlie Varrick to Badlands to The Friends of Eddie Coyle the result is a lean and mean bit of pulp crime fiction that will make any fan of the genre smile ear to ear.
Galluppi’s film takes its time in setting the table. Characters are put into place. Motivations are not telegraphed but are within earshot. There’s a confidence in the way everything is put in place including geography – an important piece of any film and especially one that deals with action. The film is so breezy in its acidic characterizations and dialog that once the film explodes into an eruption of violence we’re strapped in and best of all we care about what happens.
Last Stop in Yuma County’s second half is what separates it from any similarly made films. What separates Galluppi’s script is relishes every moment in the aftermath of the violence rather than the violence itself. Like any good noir or crime thriller the film excels in the details and continual pile-up as a character attempts to figure out how to get out of this situation unscathed with a pile of cash.
Anyone who has seen crime thrillers of this nature knows that it’s all in how the film ends that makes the film worth the venture. Last Stop in Yuma County has an ending so ripe and perfect that it made this review laugh as it’s daring. This one is not to be missed by fans of crime films.
The Transfer
The transfer provided to Well Go USA is another winner in a long line of winners. The digitally shot film looks crisp and sharp on Blu-Ray. The widescreen cinematography is beautifully subtle in its use of the desert palette and blacks – which this transfer has no problem handling. The image shows no signs of defects or any of the issues that come up with digitally shot films. The only way this one could look any better is if Well Go USA released a 4K UHD version of the film – one can only hope that both films get released eventually in the format.
The Extras
They include the following;
Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Actors Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue
Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Executive Producer Jim Claeys
Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Cinematographer Mac Fisken
Behind The Scenes
Trailer
The first Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Actors Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue opens with Cummings opening the discussion with funnily enough which Simpson character they would be. Some of the details include the opening scene and how this was accomplished; a reshoot that occurred because they had to replace the original actor with Frankie Faison; Cummings’s first day; the research that Donahue did for the part; a “happy accident” with Cummings’ hair; Galluppi’s first meeting with Cummings; editing for performance and their respective differences between Donahue and Cummings as performers; the stunt work from an actor’s perspective; the references to Henke’s Funny Games; how always shooting her coverage last affected Donahue’s performance; the famous location they filmed at and the various films that have used it; the work of cinematographer Mac Fisken; a discussion of the various films that are discussed or referenced in the film; a larger discussion of the various actors that worked on the film throughout; and much more.
The second Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Executive Producer Jim Claeys opens with that Claeys was not in there for the opening shot. Some of the details include the location manager and great lengths he went to prep and his replacement and the trouble he caused; a hilarious story from the production involving smoothies; the details of the set dressing within the café and the lengths they went to get that detail; the casting of Richard Brake; how the script was written for the location and actor’s in mind – how that was developed; the surprising last four movies Galluppi watched before production; a great discussion of the oft-not-discussed position, the most important part of a production, Crafty!!; the entire ordeal with the actor that would eventually be replaced by Frankie Faison; a great side discussion about Galluppi’s obsession with getting the accurate Marty McFly’s outfit – and what happened when he wore it during Halloween; a larger discussion of the score and how Galluppi had scored his shorts in the past – including the climatic mid-film scene; how Barbara Crampton came to be cast in the film; the smaller but detailed work VFX done during the film; the car that features prominently in the film and its strange fate; and much more.
The third and last Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Cinematographer Mac Fisken opens with their collaborations that go beyond his debut feature. Some of the details include the original shot lists they did before their actual production budget – and a discussion of how they had to adjust after they got the budget; the importance of a shot list on an independent feature; the work that had to be done to get the diner prepped for their shoot – just how much “elbow grease” went into making sure the details were right; alternate versions when they were location scouting before they ended up with the location that Galluppi actually wanted anyways; a larger discussion of shot construction and how the visual was accomplished; and much more.
Behind The Scenes (8:28) – a beautifully shot (and quite humorous) making-of with a surprising amount of detail on the making of the film. This featurette goes into the detail on the issues that a first-time filmmaker faces as they go wrong. Featuring comments by director Galluppi, producer Jim Claeys, actors Cummings, Donahue, Faison, Brake, and more.
Trailer (2:13)
The Final Thought
Well Go USA has brought one of the best films of 2023 to Blu-ray in a stacked special edition. Highest Recommendations!!!
Writer/Director Francis Galluppi’s debut feature film Last Stop in Yuma County is a thrilling piece of nasty crime fiction starring Jim Cummings. New to Blu-ray from Well Go USA.
The Film
I love it when a movie opens with a Logo that’s been changed to reflect a different era. Bonus points, to Well Go USA allowing this and for the Logo change to an era where the Company didn’t exist (the 1970s in this instance) and the coloring and style of a very specific logo for another company that will remain nameless. Though any well-versed audience member will know the logo they’re taking inspiration from.
The logo leads us to the difference between inspiration and homage. Homage feels like a Xerox copy, though not authentic. Then there’s inspiration, an idea germinated authentically from a love of material. I mention this because writer/director Francis Galluppi’s Last Stop in Yuma County takes inspiration from the gritty crime dramas of the 1970s. Everything from Charlie Varrick to Badlands to The Friends of Eddie Coyle the result is a lean and mean bit of pulp crime fiction that will make any fan of the genre smile ear to ear.
Galluppi’s film takes its time in setting the table. Characters are put into place. Motivations are not telegraphed but are within earshot. There’s a confidence in the way everything is put in place including geography – an important piece of any film and especially one that deals with action. The film is so breezy in its acidic characterizations and dialog that once the film explodes into an eruption of violence we’re strapped in and best of all we care about what happens.
Last Stop in Yuma County’s second half is what separates it from any similarly made films. What separates Galluppi’s script is relishes every moment in the aftermath of the violence rather than the violence itself. Like any good noir or crime thriller the film excels in the details and continual pile-up as a character attempts to figure out how to get out of this situation unscathed with a pile of cash.
Anyone who has seen crime thrillers of this nature knows that it’s all in how the film ends that makes the film worth the venture. Last Stop in Yuma County has an ending so ripe and perfect that it made this review laugh as it’s daring. This one is not to be missed by fans of crime films.
The Transfer
The transfer provided to Well Go USA is another winner in a long line of winners. The digitally shot film looks crisp and sharp on Blu-Ray. The widescreen cinematography is beautifully subtle in its use of the desert palette and blacks – which this transfer has no problem handling. The image shows no signs of defects or any of the issues that come up with digitally shot films. The only way this one could look any better is if Well Go USA released a 4K UHD version of the film – one can only hope that both films get released eventually in the format.
The Extras
They include the following;
The first Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Actors Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue opens with Cummings opening the discussion with funnily enough which Simpson character they would be. Some of the details include the opening scene and how this was accomplished; a reshoot that occurred because they had to replace the original actor with Frankie Faison; Cummings’s first day; the research that Donahue did for the part; a “happy accident” with Cummings’ hair; Galluppi’s first meeting with Cummings; editing for performance and their respective differences between Donahue and Cummings as performers; the stunt work from an actor’s perspective; the references to Henke’s Funny Games; how always shooting her coverage last affected Donahue’s performance; the famous location they filmed at and the various films that have used it; the work of cinematographer Mac Fisken; a discussion of the various films that are discussed or referenced in the film; a larger discussion of the various actors that worked on the film throughout; and much more.
The second Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Executive Producer Jim Claeys opens with that Claeys was not in there for the opening shot. Some of the details include the location manager and great lengths he went to prep and his replacement and the trouble he caused; a hilarious story from the production involving smoothies; the details of the set dressing within the café and the lengths they went to get that detail; the casting of Richard Brake; how the script was written for the location and actor’s in mind – how that was developed; the surprising last four movies Galluppi watched before production; a great discussion of the oft-not-discussed position, the most important part of a production, Crafty!!; the entire ordeal with the actor that would eventually be replaced by Frankie Faison; a great side discussion about Galluppi’s obsession with getting the accurate Marty McFly’s outfit – and what happened when he wore it during Halloween; a larger discussion of the score and how Galluppi had scored his shorts in the past – including the climatic mid-film scene; how Barbara Crampton came to be cast in the film; the smaller but detailed work VFX done during the film; the car that features prominently in the film and its strange fate; and much more.
The third and last Audio Commentary Track with Director Francis Galluppi and Cinematographer Mac Fisken opens with their collaborations that go beyond his debut feature. Some of the details include the original shot lists they did before their actual production budget – and a discussion of how they had to adjust after they got the budget; the importance of a shot list on an independent feature; the work that had to be done to get the diner prepped for their shoot – just how much “elbow grease” went into making sure the details were right; alternate versions when they were location scouting before they ended up with the location that Galluppi actually wanted anyways; a larger discussion of shot construction and how the visual was accomplished; and much more.
Behind The Scenes (8:28) – a beautifully shot (and quite humorous) making-of with a surprising amount of detail on the making of the film. This featurette goes into the detail on the issues that a first-time filmmaker faces as they go wrong. Featuring comments by director Galluppi, producer Jim Claeys, actors Cummings, Donahue, Faison, Brake, and more.
Trailer (2:13)
The Final Thought
Well Go USA has brought one of the best films of 2023 to Blu-ray in a stacked special edition. Highest Recommendations!!!
Well Go USA’s Blu-Ray edition of The Last Stop in Yuma County is out July 16th
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