The Last Mark (2022)

(On Cable TV, April 2022) I understand that finding good movie premises that are suitable to be executed under the typical constraints of a low-budget Canadian production is hard. I also understand that a guy with a gun is dramatically interesting, and so hitman movies can be appealing for budgets barely big enough to include a catering table. But it takes more than a guy with a gun and a girl in distress to make a compelling film. The Last Mark may or may not be a case in point. For one thing, I’m really happy that the film avoids the “retiring hitman who travels to a small town and realizes that the hit is on him” plot line that’s been recently overused in Canadian low-budget films. On the other hand, it doesn’t really rise much above it with “Retired hitman refuses last contract, plans on rescuing his victim instead.”  Much of the story takes place between the hitman and the girl he locks up in an effort not to kill her, with additional thrills coming from those even-worse-hitmen trying to tie up that loose end. It’s in execution, however, that The Last Mark proves most limited. Taking place in rural surroundings, it’s a dreary and dimly lit affair in low-rent bars, cheap hotel rooms, rusting cars and small houses. Clichés may be batted away (no, he’s not his victim’s father, we’re repeatedly told) but they’re still played with, and the quality of the execution, whether we’re talking about the humdrum script or Reem Morsi’s direction or any of the performances. The Last Mark is better than bad, but nowhere near good enough to be worth recommending. It just feels… present, without many more qualifiers. Or I simply may have overdosed on Canadian hitman thrillers.