The plot itself is fairly well represented in the genre: a beautiful woman (self-referenced as a 'stripper with a heart of gold') calls for help from a private eye (Hawkes) and is subsequently murdered. Whether this is intentional or not it's a nice nod to what is becoming a dying format. One unexpected result is that you are aware of the camera more than in most films, especially where the varied lighting, extremely long zooms and tough focal situations really make you feel the mechanical limitations of the camera and 35mm film. As far as directorial 'tricks' go this is one of my favorites, and Haucks executes it very well, without sacrificing movement or dynamism in the scenes. 'Too Late' is an ambitious contemporary film noir in five non-sequential acts, each of which is shot in a single take. I was not familiar with writer/director Dennis Hauck but will keep an eye out for him in the future-I think he shows a lot of promise. Reviewed by otaking241 8 / 10 Engaging if a bit overly ambitiousĭecided to see this at the LA Film Fest for a chance at seeing John Hawkes in action.
