[yasr_overall_rating]
The true story of the infamous prison break, of Gary Tison and Randy Greenwalt, from the Arizona State prison in Florence, AZ, in the summer of 1978.
On July 31, 1978, Gary Tison (Robert Patrick) and Randy Greenawalt (Chris Browning) escaped from Arizona State Prison by using Tison’s three sons Donnie (Alex MacNicoll), Ray (Casey Thomas Brown) and Ricky (Skyy Moore), to bring guns into the facility and break them out. While Agent Cooper (Bruce Davison) tries to crack down on Tison’s whereabouts, Tison and his crew try to rendezvous with his brother Joe (William Shockley), who’s supposed to get him to Mexico. Young local reporter Marisa (Molly C. Quinn) begins to have a relationship with Tison’s devoted and deeply religious wife, Dorothy (Heather Graham), who really believes that her husband is an innocent man who’s been unjustly imprisoned even as he murders several people across the state.
Director Dwight H. Little delivers a neo-western film that is grounded by Alvaro Rodriguez’s (Co-writer of “Machete”) script and several performances in the film, mainly Robert Patrick as Gary Tison. The dialogue throughout the film feels generic but Roberts’s character definitely has the best lines. Little has a deep and diverse track record of directing credits ranging from “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” to “Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home,” and several episodes of “Prison Break.” He has experience and you can tell because of how well made and established this film is. Little tells the story with no over-the-top sequences and not a lot of action. He lets the script come to life in the most realistic way possible. Robert Patrick and Chris Browning utilize all 93 minutes of this film to deliver the most nuanced performances the script had to offer. Patrick as Gary definitely rises above the other portrayals because of the manipulative, sociopathic ways he spews out bible quotes or fierce sayings to his sons. There are few performances a year that are as commanding and vile as this one, and I applaud Patrick for his outstanding work. Heather Graham as Dorothy, provides a unique presentation as a woman who is completely devoted to her husband and is on the brink of going crazy.
This film’s costume design and the setting was exactly what I wanted from a 1970s western crime thriller. There were several vast shots of desert scenery that really sucked you into that time period. The way the characters were dressed felt very precise to that era. There were very few action scenes, but there was no need for scenes like that. “Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison” is not the most fun film of the year, but it is a very intriguing and intense story. This is real-life and you feel that whenever there are deaths or family problems. The narrative of the film is quite simple but handled with care and gratitude. The story of Gary Tison makes for a great dramatic motion picture, and the story and scenery have enough abruptness and tension to make up for the problems of the film.
All in all, director Dwight H. Little depicts a horrible man and the vulnerability of his children to the best his abilities. He really brings out the best of the script to the screen, and the actors portray their characters in the most refined ways possible. The film could’ve been about 30-45 minutes longer to help develop the characters a little more, especially with the three sons. The movie clearly shows that the boys do not know the man their father really is, but still idolize him in several ways. It would’ve made the story more compelling if Little could’ve delved into that aspect of the narrative. But overall it is a good film, and definitely has the feel of a 90s C movie, which is more than what I was expecting.
Now playing in select theaters
