The Last Shift Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Last Shift Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 7, 2021

Writer/Director Andrew Cohn has crafted a story of intersecting lives and opposite life directions in The Last Shift, a simple yet elegant character study that profoundly explores the human condition in the midst of menial labor and two opposing points in and perspectives on the timeline.

Stanley (Richard Jenkins) is a high school dropout who has been working the graveyard shift at Oscar’s Chicken and Fish fast food joint for 38 years. He’s a bit eccentric and takes his job extremely seriously. He’s proud of his work. It’s his life. He lives and breathes the job and holds a sense of importance and self-worth. He’s finally decided to move on, moving to Florida to stay with his elderly mother. He’s scraped together enough money to buy a cheap car and put in his notice. He’s to train his replacement, someone Stanley hopes will take the job as seriously as he and, just maybe, follow in his footsteps as a fast food lifer. That young man is Jevon (Shane Paul McGhie), fresh out of prison and not particularly remorseful about what he’s done and not particularly eager to build a life for himself. He’s father to a young boy but his live-in girlfriend Sidney (Birgundi Baker) has seen enough. He’s not going anywhere, preferring to smoke and skirt the law and certainly not care for his son. All outward appearances suggest a nobody, but he’s actually quite intelligent. He’s an accomplished writer, well spoken, and fully capable of building a life should he so desire. As he begins his temporary career at Oscar’s, he finds himself presented with a possible vision for his future in Stanley, a mentor in more ways than one.

For Stanley, Oscar's represents a life's work in the shadow of failure he's forced himself to forget. For Jevon, Oscar's a stumbling block at worst or, should he refocus his life's perspectives, a stepping stone to something greater. The two learn from one another, but the film refuses to travel down the trite "opposites attract" or "unlikeliest of friendships" angle. These are two ships passing in the night, literally as the case may be, and while they form a bond in their shared time together, and influence one another in various forms and fashions, their story is not one of generic amplification and unwarranted platitudes. The film follows both in a shared season of life, one with a world ahead of him, the other only able to look backwards.

Much of the film's excellence comes in what it doesn't, and its characters don't, say. With Cohn's superficially accessible yet inwardly complex writing, and matching performances from the legendary Jenkins and the exciting up-and-coming McGhie, The Last Shift explores its characters, and a greater reflection on life and what it means to live, in more subtle ways. Cohn rightly refuses the temptation to make Stanley a positive mentor. If anything Jevon tears down Stanley's illusion of importance and satisfaction while Stanley is, for Jevon, an example of a wasted life. As the film progresses, Jevon, who lives a wayward life, matures as he sees himself in Stanley's shoes in 38 years, a man with no hope for whatever future lies ahead of him and nothing to show for his life's work. In that sense the movie is hopeful, but it's also a melancholic, sobering look at a man who never peaked but lived his life on a flat line. Of course, as the film starts Stanley is a proud man who believes in what he does. Jevon is arguably the worst thing that could have happened to him, while conversely Stanley might be the most important person ever to come into Jevon's life. It's a fascinating dichotomy. Both men break the other's illusion, but only one of them has a chance to put himself on a better track.

The Last Shift Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Shift clocks in on Blu-ray with a solid 1080p transfer. First, a few observations concerning the picture's shortcomings. Viewers will spot some mild banding and compression artifacts across a black sky at the 4:45 mark, though this is the only severe example to be found. Additionally, light noise is visible in certain lower light scenes, such as when Jevon and a friend are smoking weed in one of the character's early scenes. Aside from those qualities the picture satisfies. It's of a good, albeit typical and HD nondescript, quality for a midgrade film shot on digital. The image is clear and details are sharp. Facial complexities are effortlessly revealing, particularly on the older characters who wear the signs of time on their faces. Wrinkles, pores, and facial hair are well resolved, as are the wear and tear on surfaces around Stanley's room (look at his door at the 23:25 mark) and the various odds and ends around the fast-food joint as seen in numerous scenes. Several outdoor exteriors offer quality definition, particularly outside the restaurant when Stanley and Jevon drag a drunken patron away at the end of their shift at the 33-minute mark. Colors are well saturated. The blue Corolla (and the yellow driver's side door) reveal nice pop, as do natural green exteriors. The night shift scenes inside the restaurant show the tile floor, signs, ketchup bottles, and other assorted splashes with pleasing punch under the lessened lighting. Skin tones are solid and black levels are strong, too. Beyond the one particularly troubling scene, there's not much to dislike about this one.

The Last Shift Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is of simple beats and basic qualities. Music is cheerful when engaged. One of the liveliest scenes comes in chapter seven when Stanley is acquainting himself with a new car. Zipping traffic, honking horns, and upbeat music combine to pleasantly saturate the stage with the total scene din. It's all in good working balance and clarity, topped off with some light directional and surround effects. The track offers little more that extends beyond light music, mild ambience, and dialogue. It's all satisfactory in all areas of concern, though certainly beyond the odd here-and-there back channel extension the track remains largely property of the front, and without significant stretch at that. Dialogue is clear and center grounded for the duration. This is an undemanding track that the Blu-ray delivers with ease.

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

No supplements are included beyond a pair of previews for other Sony titles (Yellow Rose and The Kid Detective). No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

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

This is a gem of a little film that's simple yet thoughtful and thorough in how it brings together and deconstructs its characters. It's uplifting and sobering at the same time; the two perspectives are ever-present yet crisscross in the middle as the characters find themselves changed from one another's company. This reviewer is excited to discover what Andrew Cohn has in store next. Sony's Blu-ray is sadly featureless; a Cohn commentary track would have been most welcome. Picture and sound qualities are fine, if nothing to write home about. Highly recommended.