Last Stand (2003)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Gabe Torres

Writer:

Gabe Torres (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Short | Western

Tagline:

On the American frontier, a Lakota boy and a US Cavalry soldier form an unlikely friendship.

Plot:

In the aftermath of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, a twelve-year-old Lakota boy (Goes Alone) comes...

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Jason London	...	Pvt. James Cavanagh
Joseph Saul	...	Goes Alone
Billy Gillespie	...	Sgt. MacMillan
Chad Gordon	...	Pvt. Curtis
Darren Keefe	...	Pvt. Wilkins (as Darren Reiher)
David Midthunder	...	Goes Alone's brother
Lowell Raven	...	Lakota Boy #1
Vernon Adolph	...	Lakota Boy #2
Blue Deckert	...	Colonel
Lea Moreno Young	...	Lucy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Broberg	...	Soldier Getting Scalped
Dustin Cornelius	...	Soldier
Christopher J. Francis	...	Firing Squad Soldier (as Chris Francis)
Artie Glackin	...	Firing Squad Officer
Huntley Ritter	...	Pfc. Anderson
Tom Schultz	...	Execution Officer

Runtime:

23 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Company:

Last Stand GK Inc.

Elegant, expansive and richly moving

I first saw this gem at a festival in Colorado where it swept several major awards, and was hugely impressed at the ambition of the production and how skillfully it was pulled off. This is top-drawer professional work all around, with beautiful 35mm cinematography, lush and immersive sound design and scoring, and art direction that is utterly convincing on an epic scale. The short film format is often thought of as primarily a learning ground for new filmmakers, but here we have the work of seasoned professionals at the top of their game, directed with obvious authority and vision.

At the heart of all this are two wonderful performances, one by a veteran actor and one by a charismatic newcomer. This story of a wounded cavalry soldier and a young Lakota boy is of necessity a very visual one. Unlike so many films that rely on a surplus of dialogue, meanings here must be communicated (both from character to character and from filmmaker to audience) with a glance, a gesture, a telling action. It's a wonderful study in visual storytelling that pays off in a genuinely affecting emotional crescendo.

As others here have indicated, the DVD contains a wealth of information for any aspiring filmmaker. The behind-the-scenes materials are substantial and provide many entertaining anecdotes and insights from the production process. And the film itself is a master class in story structure, shot selection, and pacing. It's worth tracking down.