The Last Days of American Crime (Movie Review)

In an alternate universe, this would've been my review of Wonder Woman 1984. Unfortunately, things in this one have pretty much gone to the dogs, and that highly-anticipated superhero tentpole was pushed back till August 14th in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving us with bottom-of-the-barrel Netflix productions like The Last Days of American Crime instead.

Set in a dystopian America that is nearly overrun by crime, the film centers on Graham Bricke (Édgar Ramírez), a renowned bank robber who is recruited for one final heist by an unusual couple, Shelby Dupree (Anna Brewster) and Kevin Cash (Michael Pitt). They'll need to act fast though, as the government is on the verge of rolling out its American Peace Initiative (API), which would take the form of a signal that would make all citizens incapable of taking part in criminal activities.

I won't even try to downplay it, The Last Days of American Crime is a cringefest. I can't remember the last time I saw this much bad acting and cringeworthy dialogue in one movie. It is a movie that has very little redeeming qualities, other than perhaps to show us how other Netflix productions like Extraction are at least ahead of the pack.

For a movie that is billed as an action thriller, it is amazing just how little action and thrills there were to be seen or had. The movie takes its sweet time in setting up the main heist at the center of its plot, which contributes to its two and a half hour runtime. This itself wouldn't be a problem if the characters it was spending most of that time introducing were relatable and had interesting backstories.

But the characters are so thinly developed that it would take all the patience you can muster just to resist turning the movie off before the bullets start flying. And even when they do start flying, the movie still can't mask that overall feeling of cheapness. It even manages to make its sex scenes look boring as well, boasting what is possibly the most unimaginative bathroom sex scene I have witnessed on screen.

If you like B-movies and don't mind several helpings of bad acting and cheesy dialogue, then you might be able to glean some enjoyment from The Last Days of American Crime. If not, then you'll be better served watching Money Heist or any of the better heist movies also available on Netflix.