Bullet Points: Last Looks
RLJE Films will release the action/comedy Last Looks in Theaters, On Demand and Digital on February 4, 2022.
- Private Dick: I believe a lot of action fans enjoy watching a good detective story. Around this time last year I reviewed The Kid Detective, and I enjoy films like Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys. Last Looks biggest appeal from action fanatics will probably be the inclusion of Mel Gibson. Mel plays television star Alastair Pinch, an eccentric drunk accused of murdering his wife. Another draw will be Jax Teller himself, Charlie Hunnam as Charlie Waldo. It seems like Charlie Waldo is living the live of a hermit. He’s a former LAPD detective who left the force in disgrace. However, he gets his chance at redemption when he is hired by Pinch to find the real killer. What trouble will Charlie get into when his investigation draws the attention of gangsters, rich folks with more money than sense, gangsta rappers, Hollywood executives, cops who are still angry at him, his ex-girlfriend he ghosted three years earlier and Kindergarten teachers? Last Looks is based on a novel by Howard Michael Gould. It is directed by Tim Kirkby. Last Looks also stars Rupert Friend, Lucy Fry, Clancy Brown, Robin Givens and Morena Baccarin.
- The Covid Effect: It appears Last Looks will fall victim to the ripple effect of the Covid pandemic. A film that was completed before or right at the start of Covid that would’ve had a bigger audience if the world didn’t change. Last Looks doesn’t look cheap. I’m not sure of the budget, but it wasn’t made for pennies. How many films like this are still on the Hollywood shelf waiting for a release? Who knows? I will probably start seeing more and more similar budgeted films in the same situation come my way these next few months, but I believe Last Looks deserves an audience.
- Mel: Mel Gibson has so much energy in Last Looks that he could wake up Bruce Willis. Mel has embraced his “I’m going to play a crazy drunk and laugh about it to the bank” type of character we keep seeing him in. Mel has a loco mustache. Mel’s character plays a Southern no-nonsense law-and-order judge in a TV series called “Johnnie’s Bench”. You can’t make this up if you tried. There’s even a “Sober as a Judge” line. Mel’s role is supporting, but it is a key role.
- Charlie Waldo: Last Looks was almost titled Charlie Waldo. Where’s Waldo? Charlie Hunnam also appears to be having fun. He lives in trailer. He has a pet chicken (insert cock joke). He can only own 100 possessions. His beard makes Rumpelstiltskin appear like a newborn baby. He also has a lot of character depth. Last Looks is Charlie’s story of redemption. A man finding value once again with his life. He does all this while being punched in the mouth multiple times, wrecking house parties and being a friend to a five-year-old little girl who calls him Mr. Lion.
- I love L.A. Atlanta: Last Looks wants you to know it was filmed in Hollywood, California. It says it in the final scene. While some filming is in the L.A. area, of course there’s some Atlanta based filming too. Even Shane Black’s The Nice Guys which does such a great job at capturing L.A. life had a lot of Atlanta scenes. You film in Atlanta to save money. I wonder if the days filming 100% in California are over?
- Wrapping it Up: There’s a lot to like with Last Looks. Charlie Hunnam shines while Mel Gibson steals every scene he’s in. There’s a good blend of action/comedy. I would like to see more of Charlie Waldo on the silver screen, but something tells me if I want more Charlie Waldo, I will have to read the novels by Howard Michael Gould.
- Grade: B
