Review of Late Phases (2014) by Ben K — 25 Aug 2015

Great werewolf movies are a rare breed, and while Late Phases isn't quite there it's a fun little monster movie with some truly outstanding performances. Now the film itself is by no means perfect. The werewolf effects in particular are pretty rough, granted it's a low-budget film, but they could have benefited from showing less of the creatures. If you can overlook this, the film's central plot, which is essentially a reworking of High Noon with werewolves, is pretty fun.

Damici's portrayal of Ambrose McKinley, a Charles Bronson like, blind Vietnam Vet, who has decided he's going to single handedly kill the werewolf that has been terrorizing his retirement community or die trying, is incredible.

Damici's performance here is as good as ANYTHING you will see anywhere else this year. Unfortunately due to the nature of this film Damici's phenomenal performance will most likely go unnoticed by most which is a shame because he brings a level of authenticity to this material that elevates it beyond simply being another boring genre exercise and turns it into a genuine character piece. Hopefully someone like Tarantino will stumble onto this film and put Damici front and center in something so a wider audience has an opportunity to enjoy his talent.