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FINAL RUN

By Mark Bell | December 13, 2011

Final Run is definitely well-versed in the world of sci-fi. It knows that hostile planets must always resemble mountain ranges in the desert, with or without convenient red-shirted victims, and any seemingly all-powerful, universe-controlling government body must have a rebellion with which to contend. Oh, and your hero has to be of the roguish variety, preferably with a heart of gold well hidden under a prickly shell.

The roguish hero of Final Run is Sloane (Will Owens), a contract mercenary with a substantial bounty on his head whose last job finds him both in allegiance and direct conflict with the all-powerful Consortium. Sloane has to collect and transport a woman (Janora McDuffie Sada Bagdonoff) who has caught the attention of both the Consortium and the rebellion looking to cripple the universal conglomerate. What her true value is, and where Sloane’s true allegiance lies, then plays out.

This is sci-fi done by a filmmaker with a strong appreciation of sci-fi. In that sense, it is not the most original film you’re going to see, but it is respectful of the genre and knowledgeable enough to not make a royal mess of things. The effects work is solid enough, if a bit stiff at times (particularly in wide shots of the spaceships in flight), and the acting is conventional for this sort of flick. No one chews the scenery, thankfully.

Again, this is a competent sci-fi experience, if not a particularly compelling one. The film looks solid, sounds good and pulls off what it sets to achieve. You could easily do far worse, and it’s a challenge to do far better (the fact that this is filmmaker Ken Foley’s senior thesis film at Loyola Marymount University makes it all the more impressive). Final Run is worth a look for the genre-friendly, in the spirit of the classic sci-fi stories it so obviously adores.

This film was submitted for review through our Submission for Review system. If you have a film you’d like us to see, and we aren’t already looking into it on our own, you too can utilize this service.

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  1. Lawrence Brown says:

    Congratulations on a great film, Mr Foley!!! I know the hours and effort you dedicated to this project and I only hope it earns the attention, recognition and most important, the larger budget you deserve. Looking forward to your next film, good luck!!

  2. Ken Foley says:

    Hi Mark,

    Thanks for the positive review. Just one correction: Sloane’s “cargo” is played by actress Sada Bognadoff, not Janora McDuffie (she plays the other role. Thnaks!

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