The Last Taxi Driver

"Freakin' Deadbeats"

Review by Chris Olson

A zombie comedy where you are the passenger on a ride through living hell. After the world is declared an undead disaster zone, one perky taxi driver is attempting to ignore the danger signs, and keeps going about his daily business.

Dorman (Robert Clohessy) is a foul-mouthed cab driver, whose salt-of-the-earth approach to his clientele is, lucky enough for him, not the most off-putting aspect of his passenger’s lives. With a large quantity of zombies roaming the streets, Dorman still finds enough fares to keep busy, putting up flyers for business whilst liberally cursing the undead inhabitants in a wonderfully curmudgeonly way.

Some of those who get in Dorman’s backseat are just as peculiar as the rotting walkers, one woman in particular (Deborah Twiss) gives a spectacular rant about men and her hatred of her husband - all while the car is being surrounded by zombies.

Clohessy gives a dedicated comedy performance, navigating the fickle line of dark humour with an abundance of expertise. His rantings and ravings are some of the highlights of this short film, and his character is delivered in a way which will leave most viewers gagging for a feature length outing.

Emily Jackson plays the femme fatale who just may be Dorman’s downfall, offering a brilliantly twisted ending that will get some big laughs.

There is a fantastic score by Taylor Bradshaw during this movie, which perfectly compliments the farcical nature of the plot and keeps the tone convivial. Transition sequences are joined by plonking melodies, giving the viewer a sense of an everydayness, which is Dorman’s ultimate ambition.

This is a very enjoyable crisis-comedy, wonderfully steered by Debra Markowitz, whose clever and accessible story about the undead is brought to life with fantastic filmmaking prowess. There is no ambling or unnecessary filler, keeping Dorman’s antics short and sweet, whilst moving the plot along with several brilliantly sculpted scenes. The variety in the framing of the shots is a visual treat, in particular a high-angle shot of the taxi driving into the distance whilst a zombie slowly follows.

There are some throwaway lines that could have been given more thought, but there is a light heartedness to the script that forms a lot of the short film’s charm, which overpowers any such criticism. Overall this is a killer comedy that deserves a generous tip from its patrons.