Brian Austin Green, best known as David Silver from Beverly Hills, 90210, has stepped out of the norm in his latest role in the thriller, Last The Night. Green replaced his good looking persona from hits like Desperate Housewives and comedic favorites like Happy Endings and The Conners for a grueling, gritty character that might not have the best of intentions. It’s an absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a brilliant twist. Green fully commits himself in his latest film directed by Nick Leisure (A Clear Shot and Janitors).
Green as Mr. Dunbar has been having some seriously bad days. When we meet Dunbar, he is a somewhat broken man that is in the midst of losing everything during the pandemic. Dunbar is seen drinking and sleeping, constantly fighting depression and looking for reasons to get himself out of bed. The movie showcases Green’s range as we meet him teaching a history class virtually. Something all of us can probably relate to.
At the start, you feel sympathy for Dunbar who is becoming increasingly compounded between his under par work ethics (which gets him in trouble with his boss) to his personal life that seems to mimic the world that is crumbling around him. Green has an ability to showcase his full acting ability with a simple look in his eyes or slight movement with his body. The little nuances Green uses do not go unnoticed and help the audience feel for a man struggling like the rest of the world trying to survive during COVID. Green is able to play both a man in distressed, pretending to be a man who has it together, while at the same time on the verge of losing it.
It is a rare quality for an actor to be able to invoke multiple emotions within one film let alone at the same time. Green sells everything about Dunbar right from from the opening title. The four students, Sadie (Taylor), Trevor (White), Genesis (Quang), and Miguel (Valdes) talk smack about Dunbar while hatching a plan to break into their empty school during the night. Knowing that all school facilities have been shut down because of COVID 19 and bored from the lockdown caused by it, these kids want to party. Unfortunately, the students aren’t aware that as they begin to hatch their plan, Dunbar hears everything through his computer. Enraged at their comments, Dunbar seethes at his students’ plans and plots diabolical revenge.
Leisure made ingenious directing decisions by introducing us to Dunbar who lives in a dirty apartment that is completely isolated with only sounds coming from that of a computer screen or the television. It’s clear that Leisure and Green are a dynamic duo bringing the best out of each other. Leisure spends the time allowing Green to explore the character of Dunbar while keeping audiences interested in the storyline currently unfolding. Leisure plays between close up shots and long shots which enhance the emotional turmoil for the audience.
The pendulum scenes are a tense cat and mouse game as Dunbar stalks and tracks the students one by one inside the school. Interspersing evil history lessons with his disintegration of sanity, Dunbar is hellbent on dispensing his own deadly brand of education. All filled with vengeance and bloodshed. The hunt is clearly on, and innocent students are the night’s prey. The terrorized students find themselves in a fight for their lives to survive these hallways of horror.
The film also stars Makena Taylor from Skyfire and Acoryé White from One and the Same. Additional cast includes David Valdes, Julia Quang, Eve Mauro, Glenn Plummer, and Rafael Siegel.
Check out the trailer below:
Watch the film now on VUDU, Prime Video, VOD, and Apple now.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5