If you realised your dad was involved in an illegal arms deal, would you risk your life on an errand for him or throw away family ties and take the moral (and legal) high ground? That is the choice that faces Anne Hathaway’s character in The Last Thing He Wanted. The upcoming Netflix film sees Hathaway play the role of Elena McMahon, a DC journalist who gets caught up in a plot involving Contra activity in Central America after undertaking an errand for her ailing arms-dealer father (Willem Dafoe).
The Last Thing He Wanted is an adaptation of the 80s book by Joan Didion and directed by Dee Rees. Rees’ last film, Mudbound, was a monumental success for Netflix that went on to receive four Oscar nominations. It appears that partnership is continuing as they team up again for another adaptation of a critically acclaimed novel. The movie also stars Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Edi Gathegi, and Toby Jones. Check out the first trailer below,
The trailer does a good job in establishing a tense premise for the film, though it’s also clear that there is a whole lot going on that needs to be explored, particularly the role that Affleck’s character plays in the whole ordeal. The film plays out more like a slow-burning thriller than a high-intensity action flick, which is definitely the best way to tell a story like this. Expect this film to also delve deeply into the different relationships at stake that could also provide a fair bit of drama along the way too. It’s too early to judge how good this film will end up being, but at least it has a highly capable cast to pull it off.
The movie is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend before launching on Netflix on February 21st. Unlike Mudbound though, it seems like this is not a film that Netflix feels has much awards potential, given its release date just after awards season, but one that may prove to a lot more appealing to a broad audience given its big stars and tense premise.
Last Updated: January 24, 2020
