Bullet Points: The Last Deal
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That is definitely true in the case of The Last Deal… a film that was made with a limited budget and filmed during the global pandemic…
- The Green Rush: It is 2015 and Vincent (Anthony Molari) is riding high (pun intended). Vincent’s black market cannabis business is booming in California. A former grower, Vincent and his friend/partner/muscle Bobby (Mister Fitzgerald) now find themselves in the cannabis distribution business, complete with a fleet of drivers and an operation that can beset be described as a well oiled machine. But then November 8, 2016 rolled around and thanks to Proposition 64, marijuana could now legally be enjoyed recreationally in California… this should have made Vincent and Bobby even richer, right?
- Big Brother: Wrong! Legalization also meant government oversight and all the red tape and restrictions that come along with it. 18 months after the passing of Proposition 64, Vincent is facing bankruptcy and the thought of all his work going up in smoke (pun intended) is eating away at him. Vincent decides he is going to do one last deal to cash out big and he is willing to take some risks to make it happen.
- Shark Tank: Bobby tips Vincent off about some Albanians he has recently become acquainted with. Albanians that can hook him up with some product… but they are like Cannabis Costco, Vincent is going to have to buy in bulk and that is going to cost him $100,000… $100,000 that Vincent does not have. So now he needs to borrow $100,000, however banks aren’t really an option and it just so happens that Bobby does some collection work for a loan shark on the side… so Vincent convinces Bobby to get him a meeting with The Boss. Vincent signs a contract that gives him exactly one week to repay his debt or else. So Vincent and Bobby take the cash, meet up with the Albanians and pick up the truck load of cannabis and now all they have to do is sell it.
- In Too Deep: If you think things went smoothly, you have never seen a movie where someone is going to do one last job or go on one last mission or in this case do one last deal. This is where the content of the movie gets more tense and some action is sprinkled in as Vincent finds himself in too deep with some very bad people… and if that’s not bad enough, Vincent’s friends and pregnant girlfriend are also at risk. But that’s about the time the the former boxer in Vincent kicks in and he decides to fight!
Knowing that The Last Deal was based on true events tempered my expectations for the action content. Reality doesn’t usually include ninja attacks, insane car chases and exploding helicopters. The action that is in The Last Deal is reality based, gritty and raw… much like the performance of Anthony Molinari as Vincent. You get to experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with Vincent as his world is turned upside down, first by something he had no control over, then by his own foolish decisions. Even though Vincent got himself into the mess, I couldn’t help but hope he would be able to get out as the movie progressed and it was looking worse and worse for him.
Props to director Joseph Salemi and his dedicated cast and crew for pulling this one off… they did a lot with a little.
The Last Deal will hit select theaters today (February 3rd) and will be available on VOD next Tuesday (February 7th). No need to wait for these Bonus Bullet Points, they are available right now…
- Score: One of my favorite things about The Last Deal was the synth music that was included in the score. “Nothing to Lose” by Sung was probably my favorite.
- Award Winning: The Last Deal picked up some awards on the festival circuit. Joseph Salemi was awarded Best Director at the Boston International Film Festival and Anthony Molinari was awarded Best Performance at the San Antonio Film Festival.
- Familiar Face: Action fans may recognize Sala Baker, who plays the villainous Boss in The Last Deal, from his work in movies like Parker, Blood and Bone and The Equalizer.
