Movies that feature “one last job”
Per the Daily Variety:
Working Title Films has put in motion a remake of the Icelandic thriller “Reykjavik-Rotterdam” as a potential star vehicle for Mark Wahlberg.
Aaron Guzikowski (“Prisoners”) will write the script.
What caught my eye is the plot summary:
Story follows an ex-freight ship worker, fired for smuggling alcohol between Reykjavik and Rotterdam, who’s struggling as a security guard until his best friend persuades him to sign on for one last crooked job.
“One last job.” There have been a lot of movies with that narrative element. Doesn’t really qualify as a sub-genre or perhaps even a movie story type, but consider these:
Unforgiven (1992): Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.
Sexy Beast (2000): Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits “retired” safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.
Then variations where a main character has retired, but is forced to get back into action:
Shane (1953): A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smoldering settler/rancher conflict forces him to act.
From a writer’s perspective, it’s easy to see why this represents a strong set-up: The reluctant hero getting lured into a dangerous situation. If they want to do the gig, that’s one thing. But if they don’t want to, that creates more emotional breadth to their transformation-journey and adds another layer to the Protagonist’s initial Disunity state.
What other movies come to mind that feature “one last job”?