The Last Outlaw (1993)
A surprisingly entertaining, and pretty brutal and bloody, HBO western with a good script. A notorious gang robs a bank bringing death and chaos with them, the city sends a posse after them and the gang have their own bloody rivalry between the leader and the second in command. The former leader gets picked up by the city posse and he sets to “help” them. Plenty of shootouts in this long chase through the desert.
Like The Jack Bull it does have the usual shortcomings of being a straight to cable production, with bland cinematography and the acting with something to be desired. However the script is pretty solid, with an interesting dynamic within the gang, their ruthless leaders and the posse group. It is rather bleak with no real heroes, everyone after money or revenge. What might starts off as traditional good guys against bad guys, devolves into a tragic development where the antihero becomes the villain. I don’t think the two leading roles from Dermot Mulroney and Mickey Rourke has that much to offer. Their depiction of a gang leader isn’t that convincing. However I enjoyed many of the minor roles played by the likes of Steve Buscemi, John C. McGinley and Keith David.
Rating: 3.5