The Last Mark sees an aging hitman on the run from his partner as he attempts to protect a witness. Directed by Reem Morsi, the film is filled with plenty of thrills and spills, and elevated by some perfectly timed gallows humour. Boasting an all-Canadian cast, The Last Mark contains all the familiar beats of a good thriller and delivers an entertaining ride.
Keele (Shawn Doyle) is a hitman on his final job: a Russian who, at the time of the hit, was engaging in the services of a sex worker, Peyton (Alexia Fast). Peyton manages to escape from Keele and his unhinged associate Palmer (Bryce Hodgson), but is soon tracked down by the pair. After sedating Peyton, Keele discovers a possible connection to the young woman and attempts to keep her safe from Palmer's deranged behaviour.
Aided by Keele's friend Eli (Jonas Chernick), Keele and Peyton hide out in a safe house awaiting forged passports to flee the country. Peyton proves to be a tenacious hostage and attempts numerous escapes while also greatly annoying Keele. Meanwhile, Palmer is on the hunt for Peele and Peyton and will stop at nothing to eliminate them.
While the thrills and action of The Last Mark are fun and well done, it's the humour that elevates the film as a whole. Delivering dry humour, Doyle, Fast, Hodgson and Chernick are all game to explore the comical side of this dark predicament, and they are clearly having fun doing so. Doyle and Fast have a great chemistry, and Chernick, who spends the majority of the film away from the rest of the cast, is a great reprieve from the tension of the safe house. Arguably, the characters are underdeveloped, but given its thrill-ride nature, the film isn't any less enjoyable for it.
Morsi directs with great restraint. Even when Palmer's villainous nature is shown, the sequences aren't excessive and overdone. This low-key approach works well in the film — an almost deadpan quality is applied to both the humour and the suspense, creating a consistent tone throughout.
The Last Mark doesn't reinvent the wheel of darkly humoured thrillers, but it is a solid effort and a very enjoyable film. The performances across the board are effective, with Doyle and Hodgson particularly standing out. The action is engaging, with plenty of humour to punctuate the beats of the film.
The 2022 Canadian Film Festival runs from March 22 to April 2 through Super Channel Fuse. Get information about how to watch at the festival's website.
(Gearshift Films)Keele (Shawn Doyle) is a hitman on his final job: a Russian who, at the time of the hit, was engaging in the services of a sex worker, Peyton (Alexia Fast). Peyton manages to escape from Keele and his unhinged associate Palmer (Bryce Hodgson), but is soon tracked down by the pair. After sedating Peyton, Keele discovers a possible connection to the young woman and attempts to keep her safe from Palmer's deranged behaviour.
Aided by Keele's friend Eli (Jonas Chernick), Keele and Peyton hide out in a safe house awaiting forged passports to flee the country. Peyton proves to be a tenacious hostage and attempts numerous escapes while also greatly annoying Keele. Meanwhile, Palmer is on the hunt for Peele and Peyton and will stop at nothing to eliminate them.
While the thrills and action of The Last Mark are fun and well done, it's the humour that elevates the film as a whole. Delivering dry humour, Doyle, Fast, Hodgson and Chernick are all game to explore the comical side of this dark predicament, and they are clearly having fun doing so. Doyle and Fast have a great chemistry, and Chernick, who spends the majority of the film away from the rest of the cast, is a great reprieve from the tension of the safe house. Arguably, the characters are underdeveloped, but given its thrill-ride nature, the film isn't any less enjoyable for it.
Morsi directs with great restraint. Even when Palmer's villainous nature is shown, the sequences aren't excessive and overdone. This low-key approach works well in the film — an almost deadpan quality is applied to both the humour and the suspense, creating a consistent tone throughout.
The Last Mark doesn't reinvent the wheel of darkly humoured thrillers, but it is a solid effort and a very enjoyable film. The performances across the board are effective, with Doyle and Hodgson particularly standing out. The action is engaging, with plenty of humour to punctuate the beats of the film.
The 2022 Canadian Film Festival runs from March 22 to April 2 through Super Channel Fuse. Get information about how to watch at the festival's website.
