Sometimes feeling like a complete outsider in a seemingly tight-knit environment can inspire a person to prove their worth, and ultimately achieve acclaim for their efforts. That’s certainly the case for genre filmmaker Francis Galluppi. He made his feature film writing, directorial, producing and editing debuts on the action Western, ‘The Last Stop In Yuma County.’
The genesis for the movie started when Galluppi was traveling on the road as a musician, and would stop in remote locations for food or gas. He described feeling paranoid and anxious from the moment he stepped into any small-town diner that was filled with locals, as he believed they knew something he didn’t and judged him for it. As a result, he crafted a crime thriller that’s reminiscent of features from the 1970s that are not only driven by action, but also subtle moments of comedy.
The Western features an ensemble cast that includes Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Sierra McCormick, Nicholas Logan, Michael Abbott Jr., Connor Paolo, Alexandra Essoe, Robin Bartlett, Jon Proudstar, Sam Huntington and Ryan Masson. They’re joined by Barbara Crampton, Gene Jones, Faizon Love and Richard Brake.
In ‘The Last Stop In Yuma County,’ a traveling knife salesman (Cummings) waits in the hottest diner in Arizona for the fuel truck to refill the pump at the nearby gas station, which is the last one for a hundred miles. After delivering a half-hearted sales pitch to Charlotte (Donahue), the establishment’s owner and only waitress, he realizes that the suspicious men who just strolled in are driving the distinctive car reported to have escaped a million-dollar heist.
Forced to stop for a gas fill-up before fleeing to Mexico, the two men – Travis (Logan) and his ruthless older brother, Beau (Brake) – would prefer to kill both Charlotte and the salesmen when they realize they’ve been identified. Instead, the two criminal brothers are forced to make an uneasy truce to keep up appearances with the witnesses until the tardy fuel truck arrives with the desperately needed resources.
The town’s other citizens then begin to trickle into the diner, including the kindly gas station attendant, a local rancher who owns property nearby, an older couple of busybodies, a young couple and a hapless county deputy who works with Charlotte’s husband, the sheriff of Yuma County. As the pressure builds, the knife salesman makes a fateful decision that will change his life forever.
‘The Last Stop In Yuma County’ is set to have its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest this Saturday, September 23 at 5:15pm CT in Theater 6 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar in Austin. The movie will then have its second screening on Monday, September 25 at 8pm CT in Theater 5 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
In honor of the thriller’s premiere, Galluppi generously took the time yesterday to talk about penning, helming, producing and editing the project during an exclusive interview over Zoom. Watch the video interview above, and find more information on the film’s page on Fantastic Fest’s official website.
Film Factual 