Written & directed by Francis Galluppi, “The Last Stop in Yuma County” is a crime thriller that unfolds almost entirely in a rural rest stop. It primarily follows a traveling salesman who finds himself and a local waitress taken hostage by a couple of bank robbers. The film follows their attempts at escaping this dreadful situation. Jim Cummings, known for his work in “Thunder Road,” stars as the unnamed salesman. Besides him, the film stars Jocelin Donahue (“Doctor Sleep”), Nicholas Logan (“Dark Winds”), Gene Jones (“No Country for Old Men”), Richard Brake, Michael Abbott Jr., Faizon Love, and Siera McCormick in important roles.
Spoilers Ahead
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Francis Galluppi’s “The Last Stop in Yuma County” follows a hostage situation that happens at a remote Arizona rest stop. A traveling salesman and a local waitress get caught up in this trouble by two bank robbers who make a stop for the fuel.
What happens in ‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’?
A knife salesman (Jim Cummings) is on his way to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. He stops at a local station to fill up his car’s tank. Vernon (Faizon Love) reveals that their pumps are dried up, and a truck is on its way to fill them up. But it will take a while. So, the salesman plans to spend his time at the adjacent diner. Soon after, the town sheriff, Charlie (Michael Abbott Jr.), drops his wife Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) at the diner and leaves. Once it is opened, the salesman walks in and gets some coffee and a piece of rhubarb pie.
After him, Beau (Richard Brake) and Travis (Nicholas Logan) show up at the station to get some fuel. Since it is not available, Travis thinks they should spend some time in the diner. He thinks it will be better in the scorching heat since there will be air conditioning in the diner. But the AC had recently stopped working. So, they need to make peace with their situation. Meanwhile, the salesman presents his knife collection to Charlotte. Since she spends some time at his table, Beau assumes they are talking about him & Travis having robbed the local bank.
Why do the robbers hold Charlotte & the salesman hostage?
Before the salesman offers his sales pitch, he tells Charlotte about his suspicion that the two men who walked into the diner might be the bank robbers. So, she decides to call Charlie and tell him about it. By the time Charlie reaches the telephone, Beau walks up toward Charlotte and puts a gun to her head. He makes her cut the call and asks what she was trying to tell her husband. Charlotte admits that she suspects Beau & Travis are the bank robbers. So, Beau tries to choke her to death. But he stops himself and cuts the phone cord instead. After that, Charlotte & the salesman get caught up in a hostage situation.
Shortly after, an old couple, Robert (Gene Jones) & Earline (Robin Bartlett), stop by the diner. Meanwhile, Charlie sends Officer Gavin (Connor Paolo) to get him some coffee from the diner. He also wants Gavin to ask Charlotte why she abruptly cut the call. Before he reaches, Charlotte tells Beau that Vernon doesn’t have a car because he lives in his motel. Beau fetches Travis to confirm it. While he does that, Gavin walks in to get the coffee. Charlotte says she hung up on Charlie because she got busy with people stuck in the diner since the fuel truck was late.
What causes a standoff in the diner?
While Gavin speaks with the salesman, Robert, and Earline, Travis notices a police car parked outside the diner. He walks toward the diner, hoping to shoot the officer. But accidentally, he gets the coffee spilled all over his body. So, Charlotte fills up a few more mugs for Gavin. After he leaves, Vernon walks in to reveal that he will call the company to send another truck if theirs doesn’t arrive within an hour. He notices the phone line cut and asks Charlotte about it. She lies to him and saves herself from erratic Beau.
Meanwhile, Sybil (Sierra McCormick) and Miles (Ryan Masson) travel through the county, looking for gasoline. Outside the diner, Miles notices the car connected to the robbery. He tries to crack open the trunk and steal the money. But Vernon walks outside and ruins his plan. So, Miles & Sybil reluctantly walk into the diner and start speculating who might be the robber. Soon after, Pete (Jon Proudstar) walks in to get food. Beau realizes that Pete isn’t there because his car needs fuel. So, he decides to get hold of it, which results in a wild standoff.
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
What happens to Charlotte in the end?
After learning about Pete’s car, Beau holds Charlotte at gunpoint and refuses to let her go. Subsequently, Pete takes out his gun, followed by Robert & Miles. While Pete & Robert want to ensure Charlotte’s safety, Miles just wants the stolen money. Pete offers his car keys to Beau to keep Charlotte safe. But despite Pete’s request, Robert refuses to put down his gun. Meanwhile, Miles asks Pete to give him the keys. By then, Charlotte takes out a scissor from her apron and stabs Beau in the neck. It results in a severe bloodbath that kills everyone except Travis, Sybil, and the salesman.
While Travis tries to shoot Sybil, Vernon shoots Travis. Then, wounded Beau shoots Travis, perhaps just for the kick of it! Sybil gets out and decides to shoot the salesman. But she misses the shot and panics. The salesman uses one of his knives to stab her. He steals a gun and checks that Beau is dead. Then, he walks out for a smoke. He plans to call the fuel company to ask about the truck. Instead, he decides to use the leftover fuel from the station. Meanwhile, Charlie tries calling Charlotte and Vernon but gets no response. So, he decides to head to the diner.
Does the knife salesman get out of Yuma County?
Before the salesman can leave with the stolen money, a couple arrives outside the diner. So, the salesman hides himself from them. The man walks inside to find the massacre and cautions his wife about it. Moments later, the salesman walks out and holds them at gunpoint. He offers them $10,000 to not tell the police about him. But the more he tries to explain his situation, the matter keeps getting increasingly complicated. So, he panics and mistakenly shoots the wife. Then, the grief-struck husband gets into a fight with the salesman. Somehow, the salesman wins over the husband and drives away with the money.
Moments after the car salesman departs, Charlie & Gavin arrive at the diner to see the massacre. Charlie notices Charlotte dead among other people. He also finds a baby in a car. However, he doesn’t find the stolen money in the green car. So, he decides to go out looking for the yellow car that isn’t in the parking lot anymore anymore. Meanwhile, the salesman realizes that his car is again out of gas. Once the car stops, he walks out to find a fuel trunk nearby, toppled. Charlie soon reaches there to shoot him. Once again, the salesman cannot explain his actions. Nevertheless, he gets Charlie killed and ends up getting killed himself. So, in the end, no one makes it out of this tragedy except Gavin.
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