The Last Deal is directed by Jonathan Salemi and is about a black market marijuana dealer trying to make one final score before being pushed out of the business due to cannabis becoming legal. This is essentially the IMDb synopsis, but I’d go as far as saying as it subverted my expectations based on what this synopsis gives and delivered even more. I am a sucker for crime dramas involving drugs. The best types of stories tend to be focused on the complexity of its characters and why they get pushed into this kind of business. While this film is leans more on the indie side, I still think the film does a great job at executing what makes these types of films work. The film also shows that the people in front and behind the camera are on their way to do some amazing things.

The black market dealer mentioned is played by Anthony Molinari, who gives an outstanding performance as Vincent. His confidence in the role gives a portrayal as someone who is very complex. His role in the business before legalization gives him the confidence that he can still maintain good business even after legalization puts him out of business. His character cares for those closest to him and he will do whatever it takes to make it right. Molinari has played in many other roles in the past that are smaller roles, yet this may be the film that truly puts him on the stage to continue to play bigger roles. Be on the lookout for this guy.

The film begins with a great amount of energy, giving the same tone as Grand Theft Auto thanks to its story, cinematography, and music, and doesn’t stop until the credits role. I really appreciated how the film takes on so much within its 90-minute runtime. It never feels that short. You can tell director Jonathan Salemi is inspired by other great filmmakers like Martin Scorsese & Michael Mann in certain scenes, but he shows promise as a director from how how he solidifies the tone here. His commitment to the story keeps the film engaging and highly unpredictable.

What does work for the film also has aspects that doesn’t work. While the film is highly engrossing and engaging, I did find the script to be void of realism at times. The dialogue between the the main character and his girlfriend didn’t always feel like a real relationship and the dialogue between villains didn’t give me the impression that they were real people. I do think it could have helped to beef up the dialogue and maybe doing some more research to convey more realism.

The film, as mentioned, has a great amount of energy. The problem within that is that the film does start with a heavy amount of exposition, where the viewer has to learn a lot to understand the foundations of the film. I think 20 more minutes could have been added in the beginning to not make the film rushed. With a 90-minute runtime, this could have worked. Even a scene showing what the main character is all about before the exposition could have worked. These moments also can carry some heavy narration. I get why it was done, and it does sometimes work, it does feel a bit forceful at times and used as too much of a device to rely on.

Overall, The Last Deal is pretty much everything I needed it to be. It has great pacing, allowing for a lot to happen within its runtime. I see great things for all involved. Though there were things that didn’t quite work for me, the film still manages to have some great quality to it. As someone who considers themselves a fan of these types of films, they truly get the tone and story right here.

VERDICT: Pretty Good