The Loner (Short)
You’ll be familiar with the narrative structure of “The Loner”- a man who knows the end is near, and is trying to find some redemption before his ticket is punched. In this case, the man is Frank Rizzo (Marc Powers), a hitman who’s been haunted by memories of the death of his best friend, a death which he is responsible for. In these last days, Frank has a lot of choices he can make, a lot of people talking to him about what could be. When he takes matters into his own hands, he has his death warrant signed for him. Or maybe he already knows he doesn’t have much time left? Kris Salvi’s film is involving as Frank goes through his last day in this 30-minute short film. There’s not much in “The Loner” you haven’t seen in some form before, but thanks to Powers’s performance as Rizzo, we are continually engaged by his story as he shares last moments with people who mean something to him, tries to say goodbye to old friends, and settles scores. A scene near the end with Helina (Samantha Webb), his best friend’s now-grown daughter, is the poignant capper to this story of a man whom, after a lifetime of violence, is looking inwards, figuring out what means most to him at the end of his life, and deciding that maybe he can go out as a good man. We’re left thinking that’s exactly what he managed to do.
