Last Ride

2009 Drama

Thematically recalling Clint Eastwood's 1993 saga A Perfect World, this drama from Australia hones in on a troubled adult man and a young boy fleeing from the law. The pair in this case, however, are a father and son. Kev (Hugo Weaving) and his ten-year-old boy Chook journey deep into the recesses of the Australian outback, first abandoning their car, then riding by bus, and finally, hitchhiking across the wastelands. Their past is a deeply dysfunctional one, marred by ex-convict Kev's periodic absences from home while serving time, and Chook's only fleetingly successful attempts to understand his conflicted dad. The relationship comes to a head, however, when Kev visits a pub and hears about the murder of a close friend, Max (John Brumpton) . When Kev informs Chook of Max's death, Chook explodes with anger against his dad, forcing father and son into a series of life-changing confrontations. more..

Director: Glendyn Ivin

Starring: Hugo Weaving, Tom Russell, Anita Hegh, John Brumpton, Sonya Suares

Reviews

  • The film is astonishing in its visual beauty; cinematographer Greig Fraser ("Snow White and the Huntsman") finds nobility in this arduous journey.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • A tour-de-force turn from the persistently terrific Hugo Weaving lights a fuse under Last Ride, a spare and wrenching road movie delving into the complexities of a fraught father-son relationship.

    - The Hollywood Reporter

    26 April 2013

  • Depicting a father-son relationship that's as tough as the Outback, engrossing road movie Last Ride reclaims the Australian landscape from the cartoonish cuteness of Baz Luhrmann's "Australia."

    - Variety

    26 April 2013

  • Newcomer Russell, at once tough and vulnerable, canny and damaged, delivers a performance of nuanced naturalism that starkly conveys the sorrow and sacrifice that sometimes come with learning to achieve self-sufficiency.

    Nick Schager - Village Voice

    26 April 2013

  • In spite of that sense of knowing where the film is headed long before it gets there, Last Ride finds poetry in its gorgeous backdrop and its portrait of a complicated character attempting, hopelessly, to set things right after upending the world.

    - The A.V. Club

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Direction in a Feature Film

    Australian Directors Guild (2009)

     
  • Best Lead Actor

    Australian Film Institute (2009)

     
  • Best Actor - Male

    Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards (2010)

     
  • Under 12

    Rome Film Fest (2009)

  • Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Performer

    Young Artist Awards (2010)