Review: 'Last Seen Alive' disappoints

By Jayden Hewitt
Staff Writer

For this review, I’ll be talking about the film “Last Seen Alive,” released in June of this year in theaters. It is now available on Netflix, Amazon and a variety of other streaming platforms.

This mysterious thriller includes actors Gerard Butler (who plays Will) as the main character and Jaimie Alexander (as Lisa). The two play husband and wife. The film is one hour and 36 minutes long and is rated R.

Centered in a town called Emerson, Ga., Will and Lisa are on their way to Lisa’s parents’ home in Emerson from their home in Manchester, N.H.

Watchers are given a backstory as to why the journey is happening, when it is found that Lisa has recently had an affair. Lisa is being dropped off at her parents’ house in Emerson to spend time away from Will.

On their way, Will stops to get gas, while Lisa enters the store.

We see Lisa interact with the clerk and then start chatting with a man in the distance. Suddenly, a truck blocks Will’s view. After the truck leaves, Lisa is nowhere to be found.

Will frantically realizes his wife is missing, and starts to ask around. He calls the police as well.

Nobody at the gas station, especially the clerk, seems to care that Lisa is missing. The police begin to nonchalantly approach the situation as Will is thought to be guilty of something by Lisa’s parents.

As the movie progresses, gas station camera footage is found, and the man who has taken Lisa is identified by her parents.

In the meantime, the police also begin to suspect Will, while all he wants to do is find his wife, which helps incite his rogue behavior.

Will then begins his warpath as he goes up the ladder of people, and is pulled over by police before he runs away and ventures to find Lisa by himself, as nobody else seems to care.

Viewers are shown a mediocre attempt at a movie that’s cut from the same cloth as “Taken” and “Gone Girl.”

I rated this movie 3 out of 5 stars because I do enjoy plot-twisting thrillers. The twists ended up not going as deep, and the action was nothing over the top. This makes the movie more realistic to an extent, and that’s OK.

I enjoyed the southern scenery, and I do think the movie was filmed well. But the acting was OK at best. Gerard Butler is always good in his movies, but it was a role I’ve seen him play before.

I think Director Brian Goodwin had an idea that everyone has had, but just did not execute it as well as it could have been. The ending got more predictable as time went on, and I don’t like being right about movies (as much as I do at the same time).