Last Exit (2003 film)

Plot

Nigel (Morten Vogelius) is an incompetent criminal who flees his native England to Copenhagen in order to escape the loan sharks who are after him. He and his wife Maria (Jette Philipsen) shack up at a hotel, while each struggles separately with a drug problem. Maria manages to get a straight job, and Nigel gets a gig storing illegal goods for a local crime boss known as the President (Peter Ottesen). Things heat up when Nigel falls for Tanya (Gry Bay), a hooker who works for the President, and their affair makes him ever more distant from Maria. The stage is set for a sex and violence-fueled descent into mayhem as the plot twists and secrets are revealed. Maria gets pregnant and Nigel starts to snap, and the only sane one seems to be Jimmy, Nigel's existential pot dealer. Dark humor and a driving pop-rock score complete the dark and atmospheric story.

Movie background

The film was written and directed by Irish-born independent filmmaker David Noel Bourke. This, his first feature film, was made at a cost of US$1500. It was shot "guerilla style" using a digital camera without a crew. It has a moody storyline with an offbeat soundtrack. The film is characterized by its intense blend of sexuality, violence, and philosophical discourse. Its reception has been varied, with some critics pointing to its budget constraints. However, movie reviewer Nathan Shumate has praised it as "quite possibly the best bang-for-the-buck in cinema history" within the indie film sector. The movie is available on DVD in the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and Denmark.