THE LAST BANDIT. By Graeme Whittle Synopsis. Comedy…..Uk….. 95 pages.
With its northern, gritty humour and tough interplay between the main characters, The Last Bandit is similar in style to films like Simon Beaufoy’s “The Full Monty” and Mark Herman’s “Brassed Off”.
When Trevor Cooper finds out his mother, Sheena, is suffering from breast cancer, he immediately puts everything on the line in a bid to raise enough cash to buy the medication she so desperately needs. As a self-employed builder this means his business and his role as an employer to his three best friends is also in jeopardy. Unfortunately, prior to learning of his mother’s condition, Trev seized on a grand plan to help one of his mates out a sticky debt problem … by stealing a one armed bandit from a local nightclub.
To say the plan did not go like clockwork would be an understatement, the consequences of which see our hero’s on the run from the police, brawling with a mugger and neck deep in the local canal. The stolen bandit theme intertwines its way through the entire film.
The scenes between Trev and his mother Sheena are very moving. An example : when Trev first learns of his mother’s plight and they reminisce about Sheena’s marriage to Trev’s father, Jimmy. Or, towards the end of the film, when Trev and Sheena share an emotion packed ride on a motorbike through Blackpool.
Trev’s three friends Barry, Malc and Joe all have their own story to tell. Barry, addicted to fruit machines. Malc, a “man mountain” amateur boxer with a will to lose and Joe, an expert on women, or so he thinks, who is besotted by Trev’s sister, Cheryl.
After a meeting with Sheena’s doctor, Professor Charles Purcell, Trev is left in no doubt, that if he fails to raise the money, his mother will not beat the breast cancer. Trev’s ambitious plan is to buy run down property cheap, do the necessary repairs and sell it on as flats, all with the help of his family and friends.
This proves almost impossible, for many reasons not least of which is Trev’s Achilles heel, the carnivorous police officer, D.I Hatem, who, as he approaches retirement, is determined to see Trev behind bars. With many twists and surprises, great humour and friendship, The Last Bandit is a film that will appeal to audiences of all ages and genres.
The synopsys, screenplay and title are copyright ….. Graeme Whittle 2007
