The Last Stop in Yuma County
That Francis Galluppi’s thriller still have half an hour remaining after its central action- and it holds our attention until the credits roll- is a credit to how the writer/director has plotted his story, and raises the stakes with the way everything works out. There are plenty of films that feel like “The Last Stop in Yuma County”- “Fargo,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Bad Times at the El Royale”- but Galluppi has found his own way into it as he follows a knife salesman into a situation he didn’t expect, but is prepared to take advantage of when given the opportunity. It’s a gripping crime story.
As the film begins, The Knife Salesman (played by Jim Cummings) is driving down the road in Arizona when he starts to run out of gas. He stops at a gas station, but the attendant (Faizon Love) informs him the pump is empty; the gas truck is late, but should be there shortly. The Salesman, trying to get to his daughter’s birthday party, goes into the diner next door, and has a cup of coffee served by Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue), the waitress. The next people to pull up are Beau (Richard Brake) and Travis (Nicholas Logan), who are also waiting on gas. They are two bank robbers for whom every minute matters as they try to get to Mexico. As more people enter the diner, however, the situation gets more and more tense. Charlotte, by the way, is also married to the sheriff (Michael Abbott Jr.) in this town; can she get the message to him?
As each character enters the picture, complications and collateral damage is added to the equation, which will be a matter of circumstance, luck and ruthless decision making from all involved. Galluppi doesn’t take us in a direction we anticipate, but a direction that leads to a single outcome. One of the things I love most about this film is how- as more people become involved- we understand how the stakes are raised, but it doesn’t diminish how this film’s key moments impact us in terms of suspense. All of the actors are terrific when they are given moments to shine, sometimes in a very funny way, sometimes in a tense way. How everything builds and releases kept me hooked, and- when we think the climax happens- it turns out to be the beginning for how the climax will play out. Violent acts lead to violent ends, and “The Last Stop in Yuma County” understands that inherently.
