Dir.
Stewart Svaasand , 2004, UK/Norway
Cast:
Dougray Scott, Jamie Sives, Kevin McKidd, Iain Robertson, Neve McIntosh
The absurd and often hilarious events that comprise black comedy One Last Chance centre on Fitz (Jamie Sives), the classic under-achiever desperately trying to get out of deadend town Tullybridge. Fitz and his girlfriend Barbara have an escape plan to put his father in a care home and move to the city. The only problem is he needs £1000 to jump the 18 month waiting list at the nursing home, and they only have £500 saved. He finds the answer to his problems in the dead fist of the crazy old man Old Tam, when he and his friend Nellie (Iain Robertson) are enlisted to transport Old Tam's body to the morgue in the back of Nellie's work van. It is a huge gold nugget. Of course this is really just the beginning of their problems.
Located in the remote Scottish Highlands, with strong hints of Americana, Tullybridge is the archetypal small town, photographed to full effect on film. All their friends have moved on, but Fitz, Nellie and Seany (Kevin McKidd) remain. Fitz and Nellie soon finds themselves in deeper trouble with the local gangster and proud reformed family man Big John, an admiral attempt to bring originality to a threadbare cliché. Big John has their works van in his compound, with the gold hidden inside and now they owe him money or he's going to chop off their fingers one by one.
Meanwhile, local big man Harry is charming Seany into joining the exclusive local Curling Club, a fresh backdrop to what is in essence a Masonic lodge with all the members looking out for each other. Harry has ulterior motives and it is painful to see Seany, portrayed with a keen innocence by McKidd, seen more recently in Brit-horror Dog Soldiers, lapping up the attention. Add a religious epiphany for Nellie, Harry coaxing the golden secret from Seany and an out of town developer looking to buy Old Tam's house, and Fitz and Barbara's dreams soon begin to fade. Things get really bad when the trio go to investigate Old Tam's house, and they can't resist the look of the property developer's brand new 4X4 with the keys still in the ignition. As they joyously tear around the fields, the businessman spots them from afar and gives chase only to have a heart attack and fall under the reversing vehicle, a moment so ridiculous it is hilarious. More of this extreme, almost surreal filmmaking would have been welcome.
Jamie Sives, following on from a successful debut in Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself, and Neve McIntosh are both excellent as the straight couple suffering from small town suffocation, and the McKidd/Robertson duo is very effective and funny as their foil. Writer and director Stewart Svaasand, from the very beginning of One Last Chance, peppers enough originality to save the plot from sinking into a prosaic peat bog. Using a clever climax to mask the obvious twist he has created an entertaining film that although modest, is sure to charm and seduce the under-achiever in us all.
Gavin Bush
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