There is a certain aura around movies that tell true
stories. I’m not talking about films that are ‘inspired by true events’ –
whatever that means – or movies based on true events. I’m talking about true
stories. Last Rampage is one of
those films that tells the story of real events, and when you remember that, it
sends a chill through your body.
Last Rampage depicts the prison escape of Gary Tison (Robert Patrick) and Randy Greenwalt (Chris Browning) from an Arizona State Penitentiary in 1978 with the help from Gary’s three sons, and the harrowing few weeks that follow. As you may garner from the title, the film is not one happy-go-lucky tale of family bonding – it is a disturbing account of lunatics on the run, and the destruction they leave behind. The film does not go into much detail about Gary Tison or Randy Greenwalt’s pasts other than mentioning murder a few times. These men are clearly deranged and dangerous.
The film begins by showing Tison and Greenwalt’s prison
escape. One may wonder how two prisoners who were both serving life sentences
would even be in a position to break out of prison. Tison and Greenwalt had
been transferred to a low security area of the Arizona State Penitentiary due
to excellent behavior. This terrible mistake by the prison and their staff
allowed for Tison’s three sons Donnie (Alex MacNicoll), Ricky (Skyy Moore), and
Ray (Casey Thomas Brown) to break their father and his fellow prisoner out of
the penitentiary in broad daylight. Their plan works perfectly and before word
of the prison break gets out, the group is miles away hiding out in a cabin.
While all of this is happening, Gary’s wife Dorothy (Heather
Graham) is being hounded by reporters and the police who are all trying to get
some information about Gary and the boys. Dorothy wholeheartedly believes that
Gary is not a monster and is just misunderstood. Gary has his whole family
brainwashed as Donnie, Ricky, and Ray also seemingly worship their father and
follow his orders without question. Everything is going according to plan until
one flat tire leads to a spiral of death and destruction and the Tison boys get
a glimpse of the monster that their father really is.
Last Rampage is a
tense drama that does a fantastic job of telling the story of Gary Tison’s
escape from prison and the weeks to follow. Director Dwight H. Little manages
to capture the vile nature of Tison and Greenwalt as they make their way down
south to Mexico. The relationship between Gary and his sons is a vital piece to
the story and the maturation of this relationship is incredibly interesting to
watch unfold. Last Rampage portrays
a chilling story perfectly and is an enjoyable watch, regardless of how
unsettling its source material may be.
Rating: 4 out of 5
