While trying to build a luxurious resort in the jungles of Mexico, Leslie Chase (Robert Patrick) is forced to halt construction because a nearby indigenous tribe is sacrificing his workers. He calls in some local muscle to wipe the tribe out but one of them gets away and comes after him. After killing his attacker, Leslie finds himself possessed by the man’s spirit. Now he hunts and sacrifices random dudes by night and is able to cover up his crimes because of his wealth and stature. One of the men he kills was in a relationship with Nora (Joanna Pacula), a tenacious restaurateur who will do anything to discover what happened to her hunky boyfriend. Can she help Leslie break free of his curse or is it too late?
If you thought the 1990s were over, you were wrong! Let’s pretend that you remember what cable TV is. Now wait until your parents have gone to bed to turn on good old Cinemax. What’s coming up next? Last Gasp? Okay, you don’t what that is but that’s not what matters. Is it rated R for violence? It is. Well, that’s nice. More importantly, does it contain nudity? If the answer is yes, then welcome to how you’ll be spending the next 90 minutes of your life.
Joanna Pacula (no relation to Scott Bakula) is likeable as the lead character who should really stop assuming that things are going to work out in the end. Robert Patrick is amazing as usual, but his character is so gosh darn suspicious that I had to ask myself what cop in their right mind would think he wasn’t a murderer? I love character actor Vyto Ruginis in this. He plays Ray the private detective that Nora hires. He drives around in his convertible pumping his fist in the air to some odious blues jams. Mimi Craven plays Nora’s best and horniest friend Goldie, who latches onto Robert Patrick so fast that you can hear the sonic boom as their bodies collide.
This sexy -erotic may be a bit of stretch here since there’s not wall-to-wall sex throughout- thriller, with a love scene every 20 minutes or so, really surprised me. It has a few cornball and utterly 90s music queues that made my hair stand on end and some goofy performances from the supporting cast but overall, Last Gasp is a solid timewaster. Director Scott McGinnis and his talented crew made a sumptuous looking and quirky thriller that’s better than a lot of the throwaway junk that was getting churned out around this time thanks to its bloody (but not too bloody) storyline and tense climax.
Vinegar Syndrome brings this little obscurity to Blu-ray in a gorgeous 1.85:1 widescreen. I can’t get over how beautiful the presentation is. It’s seriously gorgeous. The audio department ain’t slouching either as the stereo mix is hot stuff. Sadly, there isn’t much by way of extras for Last Gasp other than the trailer (which features that bitchin’ movie trailer guy voice) and some outtakes from the film.