‘He’ll stop at nothing to get her back.’
Last Seen Alive is a 2022 American mystery thriller about a man whose soon-to-be ex-wife mysteriously vanishes at a gas station. The film delves into the town’s criminal underbelly while running from the authorities in a race against time to find her.
Directed by Brian Goodman from a screenplay written by Marc Frydman. Produced by Gerard Butler, Marc Frydman, Brian Pitt and Alan Siegel.
The movie stars Gerard Butler (Copshop; Greenland; Dracula 2000), Jaimie Alexander, Ethan Embry, Russell Hornsby, Michael Irby, Cindy Hogan and Bruce Altman.
Plot:
Will Spann (Gerard Butler) is driving his soon-to-be ex-wife Lisa (Jaimie Alexander) to her parent’s home when she mysteriously disappears without a trace during a stop at a gas station.
Will frantically engages the local police and Lisa’s parents in a desperate attempt to find her, but as time passes and suspicion falls on him, he must take matters into his own hands, delving into the town’s criminal underbelly while running from the authorities in a race against time to find Lisa…
Our view:
Sure, we’ve seen this plot lineage before but Last Seen Alive is well-filmed by Brian Goodman with a plethora of camera angles and quick edits to rack up the paranoid tension. Viewers will easily identify with the way that the blame game for any unexplained situation, let alone a disappearance, can quickly escalate.
Gerard Butler is always welcome on screen and delivers a performance that provides a swift mix of geniality, desperation and sweary antagonism. That said, Butler’s somewhat gung ho character is an unlikely real estate dealer and Jaimie Alexander’s aloof and unfaithful wife is difficult to configure into the mix. Yet, maybe that’s the point? Had she been a goody-two-shoes the plot would have been less intriguing.
Ignore the miserablist reviewers, Last Seen Alive may be somewhat unoriginal but it’s a decent watch (despite a horribly unconvincing CGI explosion and an ending that goes in circles). The controlled 90-minutes running time also benefits the movie.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA
Review:
“An enjoyable, time-waster. Thrilling when it needs to be, but not very memorable, Last Seen Alive has been done before… and better, but Butler makes it worthwhile.” 3/5 The Action Elite
“A driving score by Sam Ewing certainly tries to inspire some tension as Will comes into contact with those who’ve stolen his wife, but such aural power is limited, with the general drag of Brian Goodman’s direction keeping the picture crawling along to a somewhat foregone conclusion.” 1.5/5 Blu-ray.com
“Butler does what he does best, but he’s working with so little that this is some of his least memorable work of all time. Alexander gets nothing to work with as the damsel in distress, leaving Hornsby, whose best scene could’ve wound up on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, it becomes almost parody-like…” BRWC
“During this ninety-five-minute diatribe, there are exactly zero surprising elements. Even the amateurish explosions lack any shock effect and just put a smile on your face just as slapstick does. To make matters worse, Jamie Alexander in her role as Lisa has forgotten to convey any humanity and warmth, so the search for this cold woman is barely comprehensible.” 2/5 Filmtotaal
“Average thriller about a man whose wife disappears at a gas station and he starts looking for her. The film is a bit similar to Taken, Gone Girl, The Vanishing and Breakdown. Sadly it’s not as good as any of them.” Jonsid57
Release:
Last Seen Alive was released in the Netherlands on May 12 2022, Australia on May 19 (theatrical) and will be released in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 2, Sweden on June 17 and Argentina on September 1, 2022.
Cast and characters:
Gerard Butler … Will Spann
Jaimie Alexander … Lisa Spann
Emily Brinks … Gas Station Girl
Billy Burns … Green Suburban Driver
Dani Deetté … Sgt. Andersen
Robin Fletcher … Secretary
David Gurule … Police officer
Brice Anthony Heller … Ghost Worker
Cindy Hogan … Anna Adams
Alphonso A’Qen-Aten Jackson … Larry
David Kallaway … Frank
Chip Lane … Assistant Deputy
Christie McLendon … Police station Receptionist
David S. Perez … Hazmat Officer
Robert Alan Peterson … Police officer
Jordan Salloum … Peter
Tonia N. Usher … Driver
Robert Walker Branchaud … Jo Paul
Filming locations:
Savannah, Georgia
Technical details:
1 hour 30 minutes
Working title:
Chase
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
