The Last Lullaby is a surprisingly brilliant contemporary noir film from 2008 (that I KNOW that you haven’t seen). Tom Sizemore plays a retired hit man, a professional loner now living what would be a comfortable loner life (except for his chronic insomnia). He is offered a very large sum to take out a librarian (Sasha Alexander), but he is attracted to her and wonders why someone wants her dead? And we ask, as in any noir film, is she the innocent that she seems?
Sizemore, who just died this March, is most remembered for his Oscar-nominated performance as Tom Hank’s sergeant in Saving Private Ryan. Sizemore was intense and charismatic and hugely talented, but his longtime cocaine addiction kept him off the screen and in the tabloids, rehab and jail. The Last Lullaby was a rare leading role for Sizemore, and showcased his magnetism.
The Last Lullaby is the only feature directed by Jeffrey Goodman, and he adds the appropriate level of neo-noir dread to the suspense. Sizemore’s performance and a smart screenplay by Peter Biegen and Max Alan Collins carry this film, and Alexander is good, too.
Ray McKinnon, who played the heartbreakingly unhinged Reverend H.W. Smith in Deadwood and created the TV series Rectify, is credited here as Ominous figure.
The Last Lullaby is available to stream from Amazon (included with Prime), Vudu and redbox.
