The Last Stop in Yuma County

Parmi le large éventail de films de festivals dans lesquels les réalisateurs tentent ou s’efforcent de tenter quelque chose, The Last Stop in Yuma County est absolument merveilleux et rafraîchissant. Dirigé avec vision et assurance dès son générique d’ouverture, le film présente un jeu de surenchère superbement mis en place par les personnages. On se croirait dans un film de Tarantino se déroulant dans un café au milieu du désert, certes sans les dialogues tranchants, mais tout aussi bien pensé, surprenant, sombrement et humoristiquement meurtrier, et merveilleusement interprété par des « acteurs secondaires familiers » impeccablement choisis. Le lien entre le sujet du film et les paroles de la chanson du générique de fin est génial. Après Reptile, voici un autre premier film d’auteur américain extraordinaire cette année ! [Festival du film de Sitges] (10/10/2023)

The Last Stop in Yuma County est pratiquement comme un mélange du meilleur de Tarantino et des frères Coen dans une mise en scène sobre et minimaliste. Et je dis ça en bien. Les situations exacerbées alternent avec les malentendus impardonnables, des personnages très spécifiques et aux caractéristiques intéressantes en prennent plein la figure et sans retenue et, croyez-moi, le film vous réserve plus d'une surprise scénaristique ! Une petite perle festive, ludique et divertissante. [Sitges 2023] (10/10/2023)

Hats off to Francis Galluppi! I haven’t seen such a confident directorial debut in a long time, and he not only directed but also wrote the script and edited the film himself — bravo! The Last Stop in Yuma County is a fresh and modern hard-boiled crime thriller with a cast of unforgettable characters set in a perfect retro backdrop of a diner-gas station somewhere in the American South. It evokes the best Coen brothers' films and has a strong Tarantino influence, along with touches of noir and western. But calling it just a derivative would be a mistake. The film is elevated by a meticulously crafted script and excellent casting. Although it's a crime thriller that's ruthless to its characters, it also offers plenty of humorous moments that enhance the overall experience. This balance is the film's strongest point because, in the hands of someone with less skill in timing and balance, it could have easily fallen flat. But here, everything is fine-tuned to perfection. I didn’t find a single dull moment and enjoyed every minute of the runtime. Francis Galluppi is a name I won’t forget, and I’m already looking forward to his next film. In the meantime, I’ll definitely be rewatching this little gem. (09/10/2023)

Francis Galluppi, like Sébastien Vaníček, comes through with a superb debut, and both have earned themselves a new Evil Dead. Nice. Almost everything I love in movies is here. There's the attractive setting of rural Arizona, one remote rest-stop (reminiscent of popular hixploitation movies), and a group of random people who find themselves in one place at the wrong time. There's a salesman, an attractive waitress, a pair of robbers, a couple of retirees, a Bonnie and Clyde-like couple, a young cop, and a gas station owner. Gorgeous cinematography, confident direction, a well-developed script with no shortage of twists and turns, well-chosen actors, solid dialogue, a taut atmosphere, suspense that could be sliced and a proper Mexican stand-off like something out of The Hateful Eight. The violence and humour could have been worked on better, but this mix of Tarantino and Coen evoking 70's Thrillers is more than a good genre film.8/10 (11/05/2024)