The plot is simple: an aging criminal getaway driver stumbles out of semi-retirement for one last job and ends up getting more than he bargained for. It's the stuff film noir writers have dreamed up for years. But in Richard Fleischer's "The Last Run", released in 1971 and starring George C. Scott, it feels refreshingly original and brash.A troubled production from the start, "The Last Run" barreled through several directors (including John Huston) before Fleischer came on board. It probably wouldn't have been quite as successful without the star status of Scott... an interestingly low budget choice for an actor spring boarding off his home run performance in the blockbuster "Patton" a year earlier. And it is Scott who gives the film its grizzled pessimism... portraying his character Harry Garmes as a guy who understands the consequences of a lifetime on the fringes. He doesn't wink at the audience and for that, "The Last Run" is a seriously overlooked film that ranks with "The Outfit" and "Prime Cut" as three no-nonsense early 70's examples of the crime picture done amazingly right.

The Last Run is a forgotten gem. George C. Scott lives a lonely life in a small fishing village in Portugal. His son has died and his wife has left him. His life has lost meaning. He decides to be once again a getaway driver to get back into the game of life. Of course it is a girl that brings this all out in the open.The music by Jerry Goldsmith is poignant and beautiful. Alan Sharp's writing is sharp indeed. And moving as well. Right up there with the screenplay for Arthur Penn's Night moves, which Sharp also wrote.I strongly recommend this movie. I give it a straight A.

I caught this film on TCM and watched it with great curiosity and expectation, never having heard of it, and of course intrigued by anything with the great George C. Scott in it. I understand perfectly what the movie is aiming at, i.e. a sort of "Old Man of The Sea" of the crime world. However, despite adequate performances and fine cinematography, it left me a bit cold. Although the point was made, something about the execution - script? direction? what ? - left a bit of a void. None the less it is worth watching for all Scott fans. (Of interest is the fact that Scott was married - at different times - to each of his female costars, Coleen Dewhurst and Trish Vandervere.)

The Last Run was originally a John Huston project, but in the end it was taken up and completed by maverick director Richard Fleischer. Often, a change of personnel affects the film, but in this case, Fleischer has fashioned a decent thriller with picturesque locations and a tight plot.It's all about a getaway driver from Chicago who has settled down to a peaceful life in a Portugese fishing village. He is hired to drive a gangster and his girlfriend to the French border, under total assurance that the job is strictly routine. However, it turns out that the whole thing is a set-up, and that the gangster is the target of some killers. Getaway driver, gangster, and gangster's girlfriend all flee back to Portugal, pursued by their enemies.The characters are quite cold and cynical and don't appeal to the audience a great deal. This hurts the film, because it's awfully hard to care a damn about what happens to them. The film also suffers from a typically downbeat ending (as, indeed, many films from this era do). However, it has exciting moments and is always pleasing to the eye. The chase plot is gripping throughout and really helps to compensate for some of the not-so-good aspects.