Last Straw

What starts out as a 'siege' thriller develops into something rather original in its dissection into small midwestern lives of bored teenagers with nothing to do, ampted up on meds for bio polar and depression , smoking crack for release, and with limited funds; it also works as a pertinent tale of pranking gone wrong . Something young people should see and learn from!

It may bore those looking for gore and masked intruders looking to settle scores but that would be derivative , what it proposes is how these bored teenagers act- ok it ain't Rivers Edge but it's sharp and different.

The chilly photography and sparse soundtrack work well and whilst the title Last Straw works the (?) original title 'The Late Shift' works better.

This was better than most "horror/slasher/thriller" movies that have been released in the last few years. Sure it's not perfect and there are plot holes everywhere but I think that's meant to be deliberate considering who the protagonists are (backwoods americans).

There are some decent twist and turns and the story is easy enough to follow if you pay attention and use your brain.

The main actress, Jessica Belkin, carries the movie with her performance and I thought suited the character nicely. The other actors all put in decent performances.

I think the other reviewers here are expecting some big hollywood production with the same boring storyline and cgi. It's a good movie and goes for a good length of time.

Low budget does not always mean bad movie. I admire the guts of takes to put it all together let alone act and direct and so forth. However. Why make the lead character so unsympathetic and obnoxious? Dont you want the audience to sympathize and root for your lead characters? When you succeed in making them annoying AND stupid, no one cares about them. In some cases the audience may take the side of the bad guys. That is exactly what happens here. And this is BEFORE the reveals that are supposed to make our opinion change about the characters. Maybe some more script polishing was needed to bring this up to par. Still worth watching but couldve been better.

As far as crime-horror-thrillers go...this isn't half bad.

Though, it's quite cliche.

The whole story takes place in, and around, a diner, run by a man and his daughter, in a small town, where oppourtunities aren't exactly omnipresent.

So, when a series of events leads to one of the employees getting fired...things get a little out of control.

Which is to say, an understatement.

As one thing leads to another...and violence ensues.

The whole thing is entertaining enough, but it's certainly not without it's faults.

Because, on top of ruining the mystery far too early...the "twist" is ridiculously implausible.

And kind of ruins the whole last bit of the film.

The film then ends on a note that- while it does make sense- really forces you to dig deep in order to grasp the meaning.

Which I feel flies over most viewers heads.

As it seems, almost randomly, thrown in as the conclusion.

That being said, it's not a horrible film.

Even if you don't "get" the ending...you can still be entertained by the violence-laden journey, in a mindless sort of way.

But it's definitely not great, either.

As, like I mentioned above, I think clarity will elude most viewers.

4 out of 10.

Imagine a mix of "Waitress" and "The Strangers" with a dash of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" thrown in for good measure. The whole movie takes place in this roadside diner, which gave it a really claustrophobic and creepy vibe.

The acting was actually pretty decent for a low-budget thriller. You really felt for the main character, Nancy, as she fought to survive the night. The plot had some twists and turns that kept me guessing, although a few things didn't quite add up. But hey, it's a horror movie, so a little suspension of disbelief is required, right?

Overall, "Last Straw" is a solid choice if you're looking for a suspenseful, bloody good time. Just don't expect a masterpiece of cinema. It's more about the thrills and chills than deep character development or anything like that. Grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and prepare to jump a few times!