The Last Stop in Yuma County (Australian Import)

Depending on whom you ask, The Last Stop in Yuma County is either a "Dusty Noir" or a straight-up western. Without getting too nitpicky, I think it would be a neo-western! Regardless of genre classification, it's a fantastic little thriller as soaked in as much tension as it is in sweat. Making his feature debut, writer/director Francis Galluppi shows a real talent and affinity behind both the camera and keyboard, despite by his own admission, just sort of falling into filmmaking while on a hiatus from drumming in punk bands.

With the fuel delivery for the last gas station in Yuma County running late, traveler after traveler is forced to wait in the diner next door, including an unnamed knife salesman (Jim Cummings), a married couple on vacation (Gene Jones and Robin Bartlett), and two bank robbers (Richard Brake and Nicholas Logan). It doesn't take long for the cork on the growing tension to pop, with Beau (Brake) and Travis (Logan) taking everyone hostage. The tension and the temperature continue to rise as diner waitress Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) tries to get help from local cops, including her husband, without alerting the robbers or putting anyone in danger. It's a legitimately thrilling, small-scale idea and executed very stylishly. There's a montage set to Roy Orbison's 'Crying' that is genuinely amazing; languid filmmaking that maintains the tension.

The Last Stop in Yuma County doesn't have a traditional lead. While Charlotte behaves with the most personal agency, as a main character would, the knife salesman is the obvious audience surrogate. I love Jim Cummings as a performer and filmmaker - see: Thunder Road (2018), The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) for starters - and, not to knock him in any way, but I was excited to see him play a character outside of his usual comfort zone. While the knife salesman is still somewhat anxious and unassuming, a hallmark of Cummings' usual leads, he lacks the dunderheaded bravura that he usually writes for himself. At least one of the commentary tracks mentions that the character was written with a Jimmy Stewart type of performance in mind, a tone which I think Cummings nails.

In a piece like this, one where the action is small-scale and tension-based, you really get the opportunity, nay, the privilege!, to soak in the character performances and maybe find new actors you love. For me, that was Nicholas Logan as Travis. According to the commentary track(s), Logan is nothing like Travis, but fully inhabited the character once action was called. Small character details like him doing the hook 'em horns instead of the peace sign to signify "Two coffees", and wiping down his armpits and then face with napkins, rather than in the other order, weren't included in the script, but help to perfectly convey who Travis is.

The Last Stop in Yuma County is just a tremendous feature. It gives a plethora of actors plenty of room to shine, looks fantastic, has an excellent soundtrack, has some genuinely surprising turns, and a delightfully cynical tone. As a film, and specifically an example of a "dusty noir" or the neo-western, Yuma succeeds. I usually end reviews of first or early features by mentioning that I'm looking forward to whatever the writer and/or director have coming next. That's especially true this time, because as mentioned in one of the bonus features, Francis Galluppi is attached to one of the upcoming Evil Dead films! I love the Evil Dead franchise and think that, after not enjoying the 2013 Fede Alvarez version, the franchise has collectively righted the ship.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
This is your basic physical release packaging with a reversible cover. Still, oddly, the only difference between the two sides of the cover is that one includes the M rating box for mature themes, violence, and coarse language. The illustration is a collage of characters from the film above the diner location in the style of many posters, especially now. Is there a term for this type of image, where dissociated objects, moments, and people from a film are arranged sort of blooming out from the center, like a fountain or a totem pole?

One thing I will add is that I genuinely love the tagline for the flick, which appears on the back cover: "Never bring a knife salesman to a gunfight." That's just a chef's kiss selling your movie to me.

The Last Stop in Yuma County looks tremendous. Despite filming in occasionally inclement weather, there's a depth to the visuals, and a warmth to the lighting that makes the reds pop and gives the turquoise of Charlotte's uniform the chatoyancy of a jewel on a silk pillow. Do you guys like that I used the word 'chatoyancy'? It's one of my favorite words, and I almost never get to use it. It really applies here, however. There truly is a jewel box quality to the light, colors, and shadows inside the diner that's just exquisite.

Not to imply that the exterior shots aren't up to snuff. Since the film takes place over the course of one day, the opening and finale are shot at golden hour, which always looks incredible, hence its desirability to cinematographers and directors. There's also a very tense sequence following the knife salesman out into the parking lot that has a very tangible, voyeuristic quality to it. If I had one criticism of the overall look of the film, it's that it never quite looks or feels as hot as I think it's supposed to, but the heat, from a broken AC unit in the diner, isn't a main plot point or anything, just a detail to heighten the pressure.

And hey, just as a quick aside, which I'm putting here because I don't know exactly where else to put this bit of praise: The subtitles are bold AND outlined, which makes SUCH a difference. There's nothing worse than a release that clearly has not considered the color or legibility of its subs.

This release features two audio options, DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a 2.0 mix. My setup handled the 2.0 mix especially well, but the 5.1 still sounded decent. The majority of the sound was coming through the center channel, but on a sonic level, the film isn't especially dense. The twinkly harpsichord and soaring strings of 'Love is Blue' (a.k.a. L'Amour est Bleu) by Paul Mauriat, which opens the film, mixes well with the gravelly rumbling of tires on the desert road without either distracting from the other or becoming muddy. The film, while not exactly what I'd call 'mumblecore' is fairly soft-spoken at times, but I believe that's a choice, not a failing of the mix.

In addition to Roy Orbison, features other hits like 'Midnight Train to Georgia' by Gladys Knight & The Pips, 'I'm Gonna Make You Mine' by Lou Christie, and 'Let's Live for Today' by The Grass Roots (fun fact: if I'm not mistaken, this era of the band featured Creed Bratton from The Office on guitar). The reason I mention these songs is twofold. Firstly, the film and the audio mix allow them some room to breathe; they aren't merely in the background for a mood-fitting moment. Also, they're bangers and they sound excellent here! 

This release is a treasure trove of insight into filmmaking in general and this type of film in specific. There are three discrete commentary tracks, all of which feature writer/director Francis Galluppi paired with at least one other person, and while some things are repeated, I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the discussions overall. All of them, as well as the hour-long Scream Dreams interview, are filled with filmmaking tips. Most interestingly, there's a sizzle reel for an apparently upcoming documentary called Sell Your House about the making of The Last Stop in Yuma County and the lengths that producer James Claeys went to secure funding.

• Audio Commentary with director Francis Galluppi and producer James Claeys
• Audio Commentary with director Francis Galluppi and actors Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue
• Audio Commentary with director Francis Galluppi and cinematographer Mac Fisken
• Sell Your House documentary sizzle reel (HD 8:27)
• Scream Dreams interview with director Francis Galluppi (HD 1:05:48)
• Behind the Scene stills gallery (HD 3:46)
• Trailer (HD 2:11)

While, for me, this is firmly a Must Own situation, looking at it objectively, it's still at least Highly Recommended. Stylish, incredibly well-cast, and really well-paced, The Last Stop in Yuma County is a debut feature that, in a different era, would have made Francis Galluppi a household name before this disc had even been pressed. But as things stand, it's gonna take just a little longer, but I've got a feeling it'll happen and there's no stopping it.

And if you need just one last reason to pick this up: the film features a small cameo appearance from genre legend Barbara Crampton! There. Now you're onboard, right? Highly Recommended

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