Last Reckoning Screening Review @ Brewvies Cinema Pub 09.08.2026

With motion picture budgets climbing to Everest-level peaks and, what we are told to be, dwindling returns implying the movie industry is facing a rapid death, we’ve had several recent movies released by up-and-coming writers and directors show us that originality and finely crafted films are really what audiences are craving. After learning that the newly released labor of love, The Last Reckoning, cost a meager $3,000 and three years of grind from director Alberto Nunes and co-writer Caleb Keller, it’s not hard to picture them joining the ranks of the teams that brought us lower-budget features like Godzilla Minus One and Backrooms as they continue to share their craft.

In Utah, we are no strangers to low-budget indie productions, but it is a marvel when we have the opportunity to catch something locally produced and filmed on the cheap that punches so high. This crime thriller is clean, tightly paced and well orchestrated

After a duffel bag full of $500,000 in ill-gotten cash is accidentally left in parolee Dan’s (Stockton Ross) car, he is thrust back into the criminal underworld as he tries to protect his friends and loved ones.

As a crime/heist movie, it takes up some familiar story elements, but it navigates the common territory with equal parts suspense, action and comedy. Some sequences create a sense of distress and tension as Dan grapples with a seemingly unwinnable scenario, only to have the mood shifted unobtrusively by quips from his stoner buddy, Stu (Jackson Hays). The humor and tension are never in conflict with one another and create an opportunity for viewers to catch their breath.

Composer Aiden Fuller’s score drives the tight pace of the movie, alongside colorful and interesting transitions that highlight both urban and western desert landscapes beautifully. The movie is a joy to look at and listen to. These well-executed elements really push the film to feel like so much more than what you’d expect for $3,000.

We only engage with about eight major characters throughout the entire film, and each actor has been perfectly selected to portray their character and carry the film, particularly the range of villains, from the bumbling con man to the henchman and the brooding boss. I really couldn’t believe that Nunes managed to find such great fits for the roles on such a low budget, which felt like a testament to everyone’s eagerness to invest their time into a well-made story.

With the exception of a couple of minor plot holes that were easily overlooked, Nunes and Keller delivered a fun and interesting movie. After winning Best Feature at the Zepstone International Film & Music Festival and being picked up for streaming distribution, it will soon be available for your viewing pleasure. –Ben Trentelman

Read more film reviews here:
Film Review: Buddy – SLUG Magazine
Film Review: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma – SLUG Magazine

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