THE LAST ASSASSINS (2026)

3 stars

Seven Tales. Digital. 6th July

Originally title Nobel and the Kid, THE LAST ASSASSINS is set in a future world where an event has happened which has crippled most of the tech (so no more scrolling on your iPhone). Cities are in ruins and much of them are fog enshrouded (which helps to cover up budgetary limitations).

A young girl credited as The Kid (Athena Park) lives with her Dad in this dystopian world. A warning signal goes off – there has been a perimeter breach. Her father (Donna Mitoma) hands her a knife and tells her that if anybody comes, to kill them.

He then waits, sitting at his desk unfazed, as several men in gas masks confront him including their leader who looks like a sort of cheap Darth Vader. They are looking for his daughter for some reason and when they get no joy, he ends up stabbed to death with a samurai sword.

Luckily for the teenager, friend of the family Nobel (Josh Bainbridge) arrives and she escapes with him, away from the devastated city and heads to the countryside. As she begins to realise her Dad was involved with some shady types, she is desperate for revenge. However, her protector wants to take her to her aunt

Metiseaya (Lora Burke) who should keep her safe from the gas mask wearing villains of the piece. But why do they want The Kid?

Athena Park is effective in the lead. Despite an obvious low budget this is actually quite well made. With director James Anthony Usas keeping things sensibly small scale within his monetary constraints, working from a script he co-wrote with Ryan Keller. The music by Geoff Raffan is over the top and some of the CGI in the finale is a tad cheesy. It’s all a bit like a Charles Band production from back in the day – not that that is necessarily a bad thing.

Steve Kirkham