The Last Victim is the type of film that sucks you in almost immediately. From its shocking opening, it keeps you hooked with its gorgeous shots of sprawling landscape and its stellar cast, led by Ron Perlman. It’s a neo-western that doesn’t feature constant shoot-outs, but rather, methodical pacing and sudden and sometimes surprising bursts of violence.

Perlman plays Sheriff Hickey, who’s out to solve the most grisly murder of his long and storied career. This murder plays out in the gripping opening sequence when gang leader Jake (Ralph Ineson) shoots a young man in a diner. This is an effective opening, enhanced by the nerve-jangling sound design. Even if you know how this opening is going to play out, it still creates an edge-of-your-seat type of suspense. From there, a few different narratives occur. The sheriff spends the rest of the film tracking down the gang and trying to solve the murder. Meanwhile, the innocent Susan (Ali Larter) gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, encountering Jake and his goons, while on a trip with her husband. They shoot him in the head, and then she initially flees and hides, before fighting back, avenging her husband.

These various narratives aren’t difficult to follow, and director Naveen A. Chathapuram does quite a fine job juggling them. There’s plenty of tension throughout the film, but also character exploration and development. In fact, there’s some great back and forth dialogue between Sheriff Hickey and the very green Deputy Mindy Gaboon (Camille Legg). These scenes never feel slow, and they’re a nice detour from the violence, allowing the viewer to really get to know the characters, especially the sheriff’s backstory and why he’s stayed on the job in such a small New Mexico town for so long.

Ineson, meanwhile, makes a great villain. He’s never over-the-top, but it’s clear almost immediately that he’ll pull the trigger and shoot anyone who gets in his way. If I have one gripe, it’s that he’s not given much backstory, unlike the sheriff. I wanted to know more about his motivations and history. The same can be said about Susan. To her credit, Larter transforms the character into a plucky and scrappy survivor, but I wanted a little more story for her character. Still, the cat and mouse chase scenes between her and the gang are some of the best in the film. She morphs into quite a resourceful character.

The Last Victim is an absorbing film, with some stunning cinematography and a gripping storyline. Perlman’s great in any role, while Ineson plays one heck of a villain, Larter, meanwhile, makes a great final girl. This is one western with just the right pacing that allows its story to slowly unfold, without resorting to cliches or constant shoot-outs. There’s also quite a twist and trippy final act that you won’t see coming.

7 Out of 10