The Last Match Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Last Match Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 30, 2025

Fabrizio De Angelis' "The Last Match" a.k.a. "L'ultima meta" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cauldron Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with special effects artist Roberto Ricci; new program with critic Mike Malloy; new video essay by critic Eugenio Ercolani; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The rescue team

It is odd that the Cannon Group logo does not appear before the opening credits. It is just as odd that The Last Match was not released a year or two after Let's Get Harry, which emerged during the 1980s, not the 1990s. However, it makes perfect sense that The Last Match, a genuine copycat, landed in the hands of an Italian director.

The plot is simple and silly because it is what a genre film like The Last Match needs. (A serious plot that produces authentic drama would have transformed The Last Match into a competitor of Midnight Express, and after that, it would have been impossible to defend it). At the airport of an unnamed Caribbean country, a drug trafficker places a pack of cocaine into the bag of a beautiful American girl (Melissa Palmisano) accompanied by her boyfriend. A few minutes later, the girl is detained, her shocked boyfriend runs away, and, while various men in uniforms scream their lungs out, the drug trafficker successfully moves through border control. Soon after, the girl’s father, Cliff Gaylor (Oliver Tobias), a famous NFL player, is informed about the incident, and, without wasting any time, he jumps on the next plane heading south with enough cash to free her.

After meeting his daughter’s boyfriend and confirming that she was framed, Gaylor learns from the best lawyer (Martin Balsam) in the country that cash will only reduce an inevitable harsh sentence. Enraged by the lawyer’s statement, Gaylor then contacts his best pal in America, Coach Keith (Ernest Borgnine), who, several days later, confirms that he has been told the truth. At the U.S. embassy, the American Council (Charles Napier) also informs Gaylor that there is nothing that can be done to free his daughter.

Legally. There are plenty of alternative options.

A few days later, Coach Keith and his best football players land in the country to help Gaylor free his daughter and bring her back home. All they must do is break into a heavily guarded local prison, whose warden (Henry Silva), a sadistic maniac, has already repeatedly abused Gaylor’s daughter.

Fabrizio De Angelis belongs to that prolific group of Italian directors (and producers) that made a killing shooting copycats of big and not-so-big American hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Some of these copycats turned out quite well, but plenty were legitimate turkeys and are now rightfully forgotten.

The Last Match is one of the more ambitious and better genre films De Angelis directed. However, this statement is valid only with the following disclaimer: better describes material that is so bad it is actually good. In other words, The Last Match cannot possibly appeal to anyone who is allergic to Italian copycats from the 1980s and 1990s.

The entire mission to free Gaylor’s daughter is utterly ridiculous, playing out like a long pseudo-documentary about an unfriendly exotic country that has somehow remained popular with American tourists. This, of course, is the perfect setting for a fine character actor like Silva to play a nasty character that deserves to be punished in the worst possible way. Unfortunately, while predictably good, Silva does not evolve into one of those memorable villains that Italian producers and directors asked him to play in numerous mafia films from the same period.

The silliest, but also the most entertaining, material is in the final act. Borgnine directs his heavily armed boys as if they are participating in a heated NFL game, while Silva and his men are defending the prison. Before the bloody game is over, someone kicks a football, with a bomb placed inside it, to take down a helicopter.

*Several Miami Dolphins players were cast to play Borgnine's boys. One of these players is the famous running back Jim Kiick, who was part of the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins team.

The Last Match Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Last Match arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cauldron Films.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful, recent 4K master. To be honest, I was quite surprised by how good the entire film looked because Italian genre films from the same period typically reveal some inconsistencies. There are none here. On top of this, the 4K master is incredibly well graded, which is why the film has a terrific, very convincing period appearance. Is there any room for meaningful improvements? I do not think so, or at least not in 1080p presentation. I felt that in a couple of areas some darker nuances could have been managed slightly better, but these would have been cosmetic adjustments. All darker areas already look very good. The daylight footage looks outstanding. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review. In summary, it is quite easy to declare that this release is the best-looking in Cauldron Films' Blu-ray catalog. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Last Match Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The entire lossless track is very healthy, so I assume that it must have been remastered. However, it does have some of the common limitations that English tracks on Italian genre films are known for. For example, some areas of it are quite uneven. Dynamic intensity is inconsistent as well. In fact, even during the big battle at the prison, it feels like many shootouts and explosions should sound fuller, better-rounded, and more aggressive. All exchanges are easy to follow.

The Last Match Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Blown Away - in this exclusive new program, special effects artist Roberto Ricci discusses the business environment in which the various Italian genre films of the 1970s and 1980s were made, including The Last Match. Ricci has some particularly interesting comments about the Miami Dolphins players who were cast to be in The Last Match and some of his more frustrating experiences with them. The program was produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian, with English subtitles. (17 min).

• American Actors in a Declining Italian Cinema - in this exclusive new program, critic Mike Malloy (Eurocrime) quickly discusses the careers of several American actors who made genre films in Italy during the 1970s and 1980s, including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Napier, and Martin Balsam. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Understanding Cobra - this new video essay takes a closer look at the career and legacy of producer and director Fabrizio De Angelis a.k.a. The Cobra. The video essay was produced by critic Eugenio Ercolani. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by exploitation film critic Michael A. Martinez.

• Trailer - presented here is a trailer for the recent 4K restoration of The Last Match. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Last Match. Presented with music. (2 mni).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Last Match.

The Last Match Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Several Miami Dolphins players, including the famous running back Jim Kiick, break things and shoot guns in The Last Match, a silly yet very entertaining Italian genre film directed by Fabrizio De Angelis. I knew exactly what to expect from this film, and I only wish that Henry Silva had been a lot more unhinged as the vile prison warden. Cauldron Films' Blu-ray release presents a terrific 4K restoration of it, with several excellent bonus features. It is Region-Free, too. RECOMMENDED.