Title:  Last Chance Saloon

Director:  Kyle Thomas

Date saw the show:  August 14 2007
Place saw the show:  Calgary Fringe Festival (www.calgaryfringe.ca), Alberta, Canada

5 stars

Reviewed By: Emily Axelson

Last Chance Saloon – PG. Warning: Disturbing Content
(Alberta-26:00 Surreal Drama, Kyle Thomas – Director) James Woodrow, a young, ambitious journalist from the city who travels through a mysterious valley in hopes of uncovering the ominous secrets that lie within.

There have always been stories concerning a mystical valley. James Woodrow is a journalist, and he senses an extreme story within that valley. He arrives there only to find out that it’s the home of many secretive cowboys, warning him not to say anything careless about them in his report. Lacking a story, James is discouraged, but decides to stay a bit longer in hopes of eventually finding a worthy story. He then stops at the Last Chance Saloon, and meets a mysterious singer. Her strange personality inspires him to stay, believing that there still might be a story that has been unnoticed. He then discovers a great deal of information that would make the story of his career, but should he risk disobeying the dark people of the valley?

After the first five minutes of Last Chance Saloon, being unaware of the storyline, I was completely prepared for a slow, boring, and pointless mid length film. I changed my mind as soon as James Woodrow walked into the Last Chance Saloon. That was definitely the turning point of the film. At this point, it transforms from a slow, colorless story, with a hint of mystery, to an eerie and disturbing film with a fantastic twist. After that point, it was just non-stop intensity. But it wasn’t too much. It was more like subtle intensity, which suited the story and the mood perfectly. One of the main reasons why the turning point has such a dramatic effect was the song the singer was singing when James entered the Last Chance Saloon. The song had a murky, creepy sound to it, and captured all those creepy feelings up to that point in the story, and foreshadowed future feelings. The acting was exceptional, from everyone. I thought this film has great potential and maintains the feeling of eeriness superbly.