The story itself is solid, and I would classify it in the “misadventure” category. Flynn is an average guy forced into dangerous situations by his slacker friend. Since Flynn has no brawn to fight with, he has to rely on his wits to get himself out of the mess. Either Aiden’s incompetence or greed eventually spoils every plan Flynn comes up with.
What stuck out to me most is that Last Chancers plays out more like a television series than a feature, which honestly might be a cultural thing. In the U.S., television characters generally don’t change from episode to episode. We need a level of consistency as we’ll often see episodes out of order, especially in syndication. In feature films, they do. There are almost always character arcs where the lead changes somehow and comes out different in the end, good or bad.
“…much of the tension comes from the underworld’s intimidating characters.”
Flynn is our main character. He’s a likable fellow, just trying to find a little meaning in life. As he goes on his harrowing adventure with Aiden, nothing seems to phase him except the occasional flirtation with Jen. When Aiden makes a bad decision, Flynn seems more annoyed than scared. As bad things happen, Flynn is the same person at the end. Introducing a good character arc keeps a movie from feeling bland. Flynn tries to outwit the mob. How does that change him? His best friend betrays him and leaves him behind to suffer the consequences. This should affect him emotionally somehow, right? I say it might be cultural because I see the lack of arc in the small sample of British film and television I’ve seen over the years.
Last Chancers as a thriller maintains its 7 out of 10 throughout. It’s a good, fun story with reliable performances from its cast. Though I would love to see the thrills jump to a 9 or 10 on occasion.
"…essentially a fun romp through Gloucestershire..."
