Last Moment of Clarity 2020 * * * Stars

Directors: Colin Krisel, James Krisel
Year: 2020
Rated R
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Zach Avery, Samara Weaving, Carly Chaikin

"I saw something that I wasn't suppose to see". Me, well I saw 2020's Last Moment of Clarity and I initially didn't know where it was headed.

Anyway, Last Moment of Clarity is a ratcheted and calculated thriller that takes about fifty or so minutes to thrill. It's a shadowy film about a guy named Sam who is led to believe his girlfriend was murdered three years ago by accented mobsters. When Sam sees squeeze Georgia on the big screen a la the eighth lead, he goes to sunny LA because he thinks she's still alive.

Sam is played by the brooding Zach Avery while Georgia is played by Margot Robbie lookalike Samara Weaving (Hugh Weaving's niece). Brian Cox who's well known in any capacity, checks in as a fatherly side character.

So yeah, Last Moment of Clarity is directed by Colin Krisel and James Krisel (it doesn't say if they are brothers or not). These guys were obviously inspired by dudes like Mike Figgis and the legendary Steven Soderbergh.

Using flashbacks, dark cinematography, a romantic twist, and low angles where the camera never seems to sit still, Colin and James give us a disciplined directorial debut that takes a little while to get going. Heck, you think "Clarity" is a drama that takes itself too seriously until it doesn't.

Distributed by Lionsgate and rated R for some bloody images (and a few F-bombs), Last Moment of Clarity is slight neo-noir that's bemused at the beginning yet unfolding at the end. I liked almost every sullen shot used by the Krisels and I pretty much dug the entire musical score (when it was put in at the right moments). Hopefully, Last Moment of Clarity will not be the "last" time Colin and James Krisel decide to helm a tenebrous flick. Rating: 3 stars.

Written by Jesse Burleson