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K. Patrick Tutera‘s short film The Last Hurrah is a charming homage to film noir and an entertaining story in its own right.  The movie effectively tells an engaging tale through two characters with a past, spinning a narrative worthy of classic film noir movies.

The movie clocks in at less than 18 minutes, but in that time Tutera tells a tight well-paced story that never feels rushed. Every shot is effective, beginning with the credits that quickly establishes the movie’s film noir pedigree.  The Last Hurrah‘s opening credits are accompanied by scenes that appear out of old film noir movies, such as shots of a winding road along the California coast and cars from the 1940s on city streets.

Quotes from William Faulkner and Picasso then appear on the screen, highlighting themes we will encounter. And a newsreel voice-over helps complete the setting. The short piece of news effectively confirms the time period as around the end of World War II. Thus, the astute viewer immediately knows The Last Hurrah is set in the same era as many classic film noir movies.

The camera then follows a woman and a man to an apartment.  We see that Petra (Aleksandra Vujcic) and Samuel (Michael Bronte) are carrying bags that we soon discover contain money.

The images are beautifully shot as the two climb the stairs and go to an apartment. Director of Photography Philip Hurn did an excellent job throughout the movie.

Thus, before any conversation begins, the viewer recognizes the film noir setting. The black and white images combined with the sound of the rain evoke film noir so well that a vase on a mantle made me look twice to make sure it was not a maltese falcon statue.

Almost all of the rest of the film occurs inside the apartment.  We learn how Petra and Samuel obtained their money, and, more importantly, we begin to learn about the past between the two characters.

To say more about the plot and what happens to Petra and Samuel would ruin the story.  But the filmmakers do an excellent job creating a short story in one setting through conversation, styles, images, and sounds reminiscent of film noir. And veteran actors Vujcic and Bronte also do a great job effectively capturing the appropriate mood.

The entire movie, including the ending, makes viewers feel they are watching a movie from the classic film noir era. Even the music, with an outstanding score by composer David Frank, is perfect for the movie.

Tutera directed and wrote the screenplay for The Last Hurrah, a film that was funded through a Kickstarter campaign. The ultimate result reveals how the fundraising platform can be used to create quality work.

Watch for The Last Hurrah on the festival circuit to see an excellent short movie that takes you back to the time when Hollywood created beautiful film noir films.  Also, keep an eye out for the future work of K. Patrick Tutera.

The Last Hurrah premieres on Saturday, December 10, 2016 at the Film Noir Festival in Albert, France.

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