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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. To the Last Man remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school Westerns where everyone talks like they’re reading a poem, sure. If you’re allergic to 1930s melodrama or plot conveniences that make you want to throw your popcorn at the screen, skip it. It’s mostly for people who like to see Randolph Scott looking intense in a hat.
The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone accidentally dragged out into the Nevada desert. The pacing is weird. You spend half the movie waiting for the "big" showdown, but the characters keep getting distracted by their own personal drama.
Buster Crabbe is in this, which is always a treat if you like that stiff, heroic energy. But the real surprise is seeing a very young Shirley Temple pop up. It’s a bit jarring, honestly, like finding a toy in a pile of rocks.
The feud logic is a total mess. People get sent to prison, walk out fifteen years later, and just happen to track down the exact same family in a different state. It’s a small world in the Wild West, apparently. Maybe they should have just used a map.
There’s a scene where the romantic leads are trying to talk about their future, and I swear, the background music gets so loud it’s like the orchestra is trying to drown out the script. Maybe they were right to do it. The dialogue gets pretty flowery.
I found myself thinking about Sin Town while watching this, mainly because of that same dusty, desperate feeling that movies of this era had. They really loved their grit, even if it was just painted on the sets.
Some of the supporting cast are doing way too much work. There is a guy in the background of one bar scene who just stands there cleaning a glass for, like, three minutes. I couldn't stop watching him. He was the most interesting part of that whole sequence.
It’s not a masterpiece. It doesn’t try to be. It’s just a movie about men being stubborn until they run out of bullets or excuses. 🤠