Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent adaptation.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Most movies avoid morally flawed and reprehensible central characters, since it's too hard to get audiences to empathise with them. Instead, they go for safe fluffy leads who have a few little problems, but are only misunderstood, and really, they're the sorts of people that we should aspire to be. Boring and yuk.Last Ride does the opposite and pulls it off sensationally well, thanks to an intelligent and balanced script, wonderful direction and a superb performance by Hugo Weaving. Australian cinema has recently been accused of being too bleak and depressing, but anything done well is worthwhile. I still don't understand how such a flawed character was able to hold my attention for so long. An ex-con kidnaps his son and goes on a road trip. That's all I'm telling you. Not an easy film to watch, but oh so worthwhile.

I found this film to be much better than expected, especially compared to the relatively low score on IMDb. I'd give it a solid 8.5. Fine acting by both the father and the little boy (and all the incidental characters). It reminded me a bit of the Russian film "The Return (Vozvrashchenie)." Both were so-called last rides between father and son(s). If you like this film, there's a good chance you'll like "The Return." One of the things I really liked about this movie was that it didn't need to have every moment filled with dialog like a lot of movies. There are some great scenes with little or no dialog where the interaction between the characters and their environment created enough mood on their own. More dialog would have just been a distraction at times. My only complaint about the film was that I wish it was a bit longer. But then that's a sign of a good film, you don't want it to end.

I often drew a comparison between Last Ride and Clint Eastwood's Perfect World while watching the movie and even though Perfect World may be an overall better movie, something about Kevin Costner's character seemed always a little odd to me. So Costner playing a convict who is actually quite the good guy, but unfortunately misunderstood. More of a tragic figure than a ruthless villain who kidnapped a strange kid.Hugo Weaving's character is not as likable as Costner's, but that's what makes him so special. He is real. He is a bad person, but the unfortunate circumstances made him that bad. He is violent, he is narrow minded, he is a coward, selfish and yet he does love his son and tries in his own way to do what he thinks is best for him. He tries in his own way to protect him.Last Ride is certainly worth watching just for the two actors. Hugo Weaving is a great actor and he manages to create some sympathy for a very ugly character. Tom Russel is also very great and is throughout the movie very convincing.The movie is slow paced. Very meditative. It's a road movie through the wilderness of Australia with an almost predictable, yet still very touching and heartbreaking ending.It's not Perfect World, but it delivers something Eastwood's movie didn't deliver, at least for me. Last Ride is more authentic, more realistic and should satisfy the people who never really believed Kevin Costner's character.

It takes a lot of guts to push for truth to character rather than going for the easy way out, softening the edges. In this film Hugo Weaving's character has been so severely scarred by life that he has become a total sociopath, with no capacity for empathy, let alone love. It would have been easier for Weaving to have softened him a bit, shown signs that really deep down he did love his son. But that would not have been this guy, who is as hard as nails and totally self-concerned. Even when takes his son camping, it is all about himself, recapturing the few happy times in his youth. When his son makes that picture shake, his reaction is vicious. All this makes it a hard film to watch, in the same league as some other Australian films like "The Boys". Matching Weaving step for step, Tom Russell's portrayal of the wary boy wishing his father would show him some affection but fearing the worst, is brilliant. Never overdone or mawkish, showing extraordinary subtlety and maturity for one so young. Finally, the ending is suitably enigmatic, leaving us with questions about what really happened, and what might now.A brilliant film, but if you like feel-good with a happy ending, don't go to this one.