Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(from the World Premiere at the 2008 AFI Dallas International Film Festival)
Director: Jeffrey Goodman
Writer: Peter Biegen and Max Allan Collins
Starring: Tom Sizemore, Sasha Alexander, Ray McKinnon, Bill Smitrovich, Sprague Grayden
It's hard to get past the very public fact that Tom Sizemore has had a lot of problems lately - so when The Last Lullaby opens with the face of a troubled man, knowing all we know, our sympathies are summoned to attention. The face, the character, has an automatic history.
While the supporting thesps are all familiar TV faces who hold up their end of the acting bargain (Sasha Alexander - "Dawson's Creek," "Wasteland," "Navy NCIS"; Bill Smitrovich - "The Practice," "A Nero Wolfe Mystery," "Life Goes On," etc), the day players who populate the film from time to time display a deftness for drawing you out of the pic (and should probably plan careers outside the performing arts).
As far as the premise goes, Sizemore's "Jack" is hired to take care of some dirty work for a substantial sum of money, but when he begins to harbor feelings for his target, his job becomes more difficult as the deadline looms.
Nicely paced and subtly scored, it's the snippets of dialogue - as lead-laden as toys imported from China - that stop the film from rising to its optimal tension. Likewise, the questions that don't get asked at times when the strangeness of the situation would definitely call for an enquiry, hang heavy question marks that disable any truer connection with the caper.
Still, for a debut feature from a director who's only previous credit is a short film five years ago, the lensing is loaded with promise, the production quality is first rate, and the film's alphabet-listers should help it find a comfortable home on cable. As for Sizemore, taking risks with new directors who are willing to place a bet on him in return seems like a good way to get back in the groove.
Photos courtesy of Chaillot Films and Timbergrove Entertainment.
http://www.thelastlullaby.com/ |
