LAST MAN RUNNING Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Damon Santostefano Producers: Rudy Callegari, Mary Stuart Masterson, Joseph Levy, Bob Fagan Creators: Damon Santostefano, Rick Gomez Director of Photography: Damon Santostefano Cast: Rick Gomez, Josh Gomez, Jennifer Wymore-Gomez, Amy Redford Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

More 2003 LA Film Festival reviews.

Review by: Warren Curry
6/29/03

Last Man Running is a novelty piece, but in the best of ways. Director Damon Santostefano and star/co-creator Rick Gomez have made a film that combines both the narrative and documentary formats. Starting with only a loose outline, Santostefano mixes his fictional characters into the real world of New York-area demolition derby competitions, whose actual participants think the director is shooting a documentary about the subject. Santostefano and Gomez display great comic improv skill; the level of humor always consistent enough to keep the film from veering into rambling and/or unfocused territory.

The opening title card claims that 71% of American men experience a life-changing panic one-month prior to their wedding date. One such man is Last Man Running's protagonist, Richie (Gomez). A struggling actor living in L.A., Richie decides to hit the road back to his native New Jersey to fulfill a lifelong ambition -- to compete in a demolition derby. His fiancée, Jenny (Jennifer Wymore-Gomez), doesn't stop him, presumably aware that her mate needs to get this out of his system prior to their union.

Richie's younger brother, J.J. (Josh Gomez), becomes his co-conspirator, and introduces him to a derby veteran nicknamed "Whiplash," who shows him the ropes. Financial problems beset Richie, who tries his hand at freelance park entertainment (magic tricks, juggling, etc.), babysitting and other odd jobs to make money, but all to no avail. He sinks to the level of having to give his wedding band to Whiplash as collateral to buy a derby car, and his efforts culminate with him entering his first competition...and doing quite well in it. But what Jenny believes will be a one-time experience turns out to be an obsession for Richie, who ignores the advice of a doctor to never again set foot near a demolition derby after x-rays reveal that he suffered a broken neck in his first go-round.

Although the actors were working without a script, one has to guess that quite a bit of rehearsal was done in spots, as the dialogue and character interaction is very tight. The aforementioned novelty never wears off, because the ideas don't run out. There aren't extraneous scenes used to fill gaps -- just about every moment progresses the narrative. It's an experimental film that doesn't feel like an "experimental film."

The scenes of Richie taking part in the derbys -- complete with a camera inside his car, which provides a very intimate perspective of the mayhem -- exude the sensation of an amusement park ride. To call Gomez brave beyond the point of sanity is not entirely off base, as I cringed in my seat every time his car would be plowed into (yes, that actually is the actor driving the car). For purely rousing movie thrills, few things in recent memory can match these scenes.

The director and his lead actor possess a strong chemistry. Shot predominantly on DV, Santostefano also tosses in some 16mm and Super 8 footage, and it creates a vibrant though not excessive effect. He seems to always cut on just the right beat, never letting an expression or line of dialogue linger too long before getting to the next scene. The Gomez brothers do commendable jobs in their roles, both instilling their characters with an engaging immaturity.

Last Man Running is a fresh and completely entertaining film -- an ambitious concept that in many ways is exceeded by the surprisingly deft execution.

(Screened at the 2003 Los Angeles Film Festival)

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