A strong character study with a fascinating leading man, "The Last Lullaby" is a worthwhile thriller that's noir-ish and surprising.
Tom Sizemore is Jack Price, a retired hitman who seems to be lacking something in his life after a bloody shoot-out in which he dispatches his targets quickly and efficiently. "I know how to count. You only get six chances, Sport," he tells one of them before the other man meets a quick demise.
But his job is finished. Now he can't sleep. He stares at the ceiling. During some of his sleepless nights, he goes to the store for something to do. He's a restless man who needs a mission, which he finds all too soon.
Jeffrey Goodman directs this movie that takes its time, allowing you moments to really get to know its main characters, without being sluggish. It's based on a "A Matter of Principal," by Max Allan Collins, who co-wrote this entertaining screenplay.
The movie seems to be set in the Midwest, although it was shot in Louisiana. And it's enjoyable different because you don't see many movies of this genre set in an area that looks familiar to Midwesterners %u2013 generally, they take place in a grimy metropolitan area such as Los Angeles or New York.
Sizemore's brooding intensity serves him well as he reluctantly accepts a job from an older man who wants him to kill a woman. "Morality has a sliding scale. I'm glad that you recognize that," his new employer tells him.
The woman, Jack assures him, is as good as dead, "she just doesn't know it." And off he goes on a surveillance procedure that will help him to get to know his target better.
The woman is Sarah (Sasha Alexander, "Yes Man"), a librarian who leads a quiet life. And as Jack watches her routine, day by day, he wonders why he has been dispatched to murder her.
A chance but quite believable run-in in a parking lot leads Jack to actually meet, then get to know Sarah. And once the two get to talking, they discover they have a lot of things in common, including insomnia and a love of water.
There are several surprises along the way, and I'm not going to spoil these for anybody, because this movie is well worth seeing. It's stylish and contemporary, a kind of thinking person's mystery. It'll startle the daylights out of you a time or two%u2026and you'll love it.
Running time: 93 minutes.
Rated: R for violence and foul language.
Director: Jeffrey Goodman.
Screenwriters: Max Allan Collins and Peter Biegen.
Stars: Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander.



Tom Sizemore is Jack Price, a retired hitman who seems to be lacking something in his life after a bloody shoot-out in which he dispatches his targets quickly and efficiently. "I know how to count. You only get six chances, Sport," he tells one of them before the other man meets a quick demise.
But his job is finished. Now he can't sleep. He stares at the ceiling. During some of his sleepless nights, he goes to the store for something to do. He's a restless man who needs a mission, which he finds all too soon.
Jeffrey Goodman directs this movie that takes its time, allowing you moments to really get to know its main characters, without being sluggish. It's based on a "A Matter of Principal," by Max Allan Collins, who co-wrote this entertaining screenplay.
The movie seems to be set in the Midwest, although it was shot in Louisiana. And it's enjoyable different because you don't see many movies of this genre set in an area that looks familiar to Midwesterners %u2013 generally, they take place in a grimy metropolitan area such as Los Angeles or New York.
Sizemore's brooding intensity serves him well as he reluctantly accepts a job from an older man who wants him to kill a woman. "Morality has a sliding scale. I'm glad that you recognize that," his new employer tells him.
The woman, Jack assures him, is as good as dead, "she just doesn't know it." And off he goes on a surveillance procedure that will help him to get to know his target better.
The woman is Sarah (Sasha Alexander, "Yes Man"), a librarian who leads a quiet life. And as Jack watches her routine, day by day, he wonders why he has been dispatched to murder her.
A chance but quite believable run-in in a parking lot leads Jack to actually meet, then get to know Sarah. And once the two get to talking, they discover they have a lot of things in common, including insomnia and a love of water.
There are several surprises along the way, and I'm not going to spoil these for anybody, because this movie is well worth seeing. It's stylish and contemporary, a kind of thinking person's mystery. Plus it'll startle the daylights out of you a time or two%u2026and you'll love it.
Running time: 93 minutes.
Rated: R for violence and foul language.
Director: Jeffrey Goodman.
Screenwriters: Max Allan Collins and Peter Biegen.
Stars: Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander.