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Every time a movie follows a character—whether a cop or a criminal—taking on just one more job, audiences expect everything to go horribly wrong. But when an old drug runner sets out one last time in The Final Run, everything gets just a little bit messy for him and for his family.
The Final Run stars Jeff Fahey as Pierce Butler, a former drug smuggler who switched to catching shrimp after spending nine years in prison. He’s already struggling to stay on top of his bills—and when his wife is diagnosed with cancer, he doesn’t know how to keep their house and pay for the experimental treatments. With nowhere else to turn, he decides to take just one last job. And with the help of his granddaughter, Ella (Maddie Henderson), he makes a plan to evade the DEA agent who’s watching his every move.
From the moment that Pierce finds himself backed into a corner, he knows what he has to do—no matter how many warnings he gets from his law-abiding daughter or the former DEA agent who seems to pop up all around down. Fortunately for Pierce, though, he’s a professional—and while Ella is an inexperienced college kid, she’s as shrewd as she is smart. And despite the constant presence of bland Agent Davis (Drew Waters), with the help of Pierce’s old friends, things go more smoothly than you’d expect from this kind of crime thriller.
As Pierce and Ella and their various contacts plan the run, nothing about it seems especially gripping. Fahey’s Pierce is a good guy—the kind of lovable old ex-con that everyone seems to see as sweet and generally harmless. He’s likable enough (and his situation is desperate enough) that viewers will root for him—but that doesn’t make him (or the job) all that interesting. The characters just seem to go through the motions to set up the job—and as the pieces all come together, it feels too easy. And though there are a few tense moments along the way, viewers may have a hard time getting caught up in the action.
When an aging character takes on one last job before walking away for good, audiences expect a whole lot of action and suspense. But while The Final Run has a few likable characters and a little bit of tension, there’s nothing especially action-packed or exciting about it.
You can join Pierce in the job when The Final Run comes to select theaters and digital platforms on August 15, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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