The Last Days of Capitalism

Directed by Adam Mervis, The Last Days of Capitalism unfolds entirely in a Las Vegas hotel room and details the back-and-forth banter between a wealthy artist (Mike Faiola) and a young but weary prostitute (Sarah Rose Harper). It’s a pared-down setup for a movie that fares best in its uneventful yet oddly compelling first half, as filmmaker Mervis, armed with his own screenplay, does an effective job of developing the intriguing central characters and heightening their ongoing interactions by emphasizing stirring, compelling conversations – with Faiola and Harper’s strong work here, combined with the chemistry between their respective figures, elevating the impact of certain key moments. (There is, for example, an engrossing interlude wherein Faiola’s exceedingly rich protagonist explains why he doesn’t believe in monogamy.) The picture does, however, begin to palpably run out of steam once it passes the one-hour mark, as Mervis begins punctuating the thin narrative with less-than-enthralling episodes and interludes that achieve little other than padding out the (appreciatively and appropriately) brief running time. (This is particularly true of a tedious scene wherein the heroes engage in some stock-market dealings.) By the time the revelation-heavy (yet deeply unsatisfying) climactic stretch rolls around, The Last Days of Capitalism has cemented its place as a hit-and-miss endeavor that succeeds primarily as a showcase for its lead performances and sporadically striking dialogue.

**1/2 out of ****

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