The legalisation of marijuana in certain parts of the world has brought some huge changes to many people's lives. It's made the drug easy to access, which has been of extreme benefit to many disabled people (still waiting for it to happen here), and has helped to reduce crime in many ways. However, there are some people whose lives were made a lot more difficult by the legalisation of the drug, such as those making huge amounts of money from it as illegal dealers and suppliers. The Last Deal tells the story of Vincent (Anthony Molinari), a black market dealer who's been hit hard by the changes, and tries to make one last big deal before cashing out of the business.
Based on a true story, The Last Deal starts with an introduction into the world of drugs in Los Angeles, showing how Vincent runs his business, where the drugs are grown, how they're brought into the city, and who distributes it for him. It shows you a much more sanitised and even civilised version of the world of crime and drug dealers that most films portray, and you very quickly come to see Vincent more as a businessman than a criminal. As such, when the legalisation happens and his life is disrupted, and you see him trying to work within the system where possible, you've kind of already become invested in his struggle.
With funds running low, and with the government breathing down his neck and making going legit more difficult than it has to be, Vincent is considering quitting altogether. However, his partner, Bobby (Mister Fitzgerald) brings him a deal that sounds too good to refuse. Some guys have a literal truckload of marijuana that they want to sell, and Bobby thinks it's the best way for them to make a ton of cash. However, the deal will cost them $100k; money Vincent doesn't have. Vincent goes to The Boss (Sala Baker), one of Bobby's shady bosses he does collection work for, and agrees on a loan for the cash. Hoping that they'll be able to sell the weed in a week and not only be able to pay The Boss back but make out with hundreds of thousands of dollars themselves, they make the deal. But when the deal goes wrong Vincent finds himself in extreme danger as The Boss comes calling for his money, with Vincent's life hanging on the line.
The Last Deal is one of those films where you know something bad is coming. The first part of the movie lays out the potential dangers of Vincent's situation, of how precarious this deal might be for him, but also makes a point of telling you over and over that they can do it, that they can get the money back quickly, and that there's nothing to worry about. Of course, you know it's not going to work out that way, and so you end up waiting for the other shoe to drop and bring things crashing down. And when it does it takes the movie in a whole new, incredibly tense direction.
One of the things that makes The Last Deal feel different from a lot of other films in the genre is that Vincent isn't a career criminal. He's trying to keep honest and play by the rules, and as such there are some big red flags that fans of the genre will spot early on that Vincent just doesn't see. As such, it's the story of a man digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole without realising he's heading for danger with no way out. And you can't help but worry for him during this, largely due to how well Molinari plays the part.
Vincent is a nice guy, you feel for him, and you want things to go well for him. Vincent's descent into desperation in the latter half of the film is an incredible turn from Molinari, and the scene in which he deals with intense trauma, stumbling through the city, barely holding it together one moment, throwing up and crying the next, being almost zombie-like in another, it one of the best on screen depictions of shock and trauma that I think I've ever seen. It felt incredibly real, and it humanised the character to no end.
This is one of the things that I was hugely impressed by across the board, as so many members of the cast went on to impress me. With this being a film with no names on it that I recognised, I wasn't sure what to expect from it as far as acting quality went. There are some good actors who are relatively unknown for sure, but often films with a lower budget and little to no star power tend to be a bit forgettable. The Last Deal was the exact opposite of this. The lead cast were fantastic. Alongside Molinari, Mister Fitzgerald was fantastic as the kind of wheeler dealer type character, a guy who thinks he knows everything and is adept at spinning multiple plates, yet this façade instantly falls to pieces when things go wrong. In some ways his character is one that I blamed for a lot of the events of the film, but the charm that Fitzgerald brings to the role stops you from hating him and makes you see him more as a man who has just lost control of his life.
The actor who stood out the most to me, however, was Sala Baker as The Boss. The Boss is clearly incredibly sinister the first time you see him. He is a character you don't want to mess with, and exudes menace. However, he also comes across as incredibly normal too. He has a sense of charm to him, he talks softly, he doesn't make threats, and he's often incredibly reasonable. Until he isn't. Baker manages to walk a very fine line with the character, but when he needs to he's able to make him into a very intimidating villain, one that you love to see on screen but also fear every time he's there. Looking through Sala Baker's credits, it's shocking that he's not had more prominent roles before, having mostly played background roles, or uncredited parts; though I did discover that he played both Sauron and the 'man flesh' Uruk in The Lord of the Rings, and I can't help but respect him even more because of that.
Jonathan Salemi, who both wrote and directed the film, does a great job throughout, and manages to make the film look more expensive that it is. This is a small movie, yet it never looks that way. Shots are composed well, colours pop on the screen, and the music works fantastically throughout. Salemi has clearly kept a tight control on all of these factors. The outdoor shots have a sense of scope and scale that make it feel like a bigger Hollywood film, whilst interiors are kept tight, almost intimate, making the most of the environments, using them to help enhance the story being told. This is Salemi's first real film, with him having made episodes of television and a documentary film in the past, but you wouldn't know that to look at the movie. The Last Deal feels like a film from a director who's been crafting excellent movies for years, and because of that I can't wait to see what Salemi will do in the future.
The Last Deal might not be getting the same attention as the big blockbuster movies, and it could easily slip into the background and be overshadowed by movies with gigantic budgets and big stars attached to them, but it's also one of the best films that I've watched this year. From the writing, to the directing, and the acting, everyone involved in this film seems to be giving their all, leading to a movie that you can't help but get swept up in and that will grab your attention very early on. The Last Deal might be one of those movies that will gain a bigger cult following in the future, so don't miss out on discovering it now.
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