The Last Race

A gallery of vivid, socially conscious photography, The Last Race owes much of its artful strength to the filmmaker's resistance to being prescriptive about his unambiguous socio-economic message.

"We don't look good, but we like to go fast," one driver says, summing it all up, a fitting tribute to a proud but imperiled subculture and the surprising film that wants to ensure it is not forgotten.

Auto racing is noisy and not great for the environment. But it's also responsible for a lively, eccentric culture. The director of this brisk documentary, Michael Dweck, clearly considers it lively and eccentric...

An unorthodox but often mesmerizing portrait of a gritty local institution.

Dweck's stoically composed, strangely mesmerizing film makes a strong case for the humble speedway's soul.

The film will likely endure as a testament to the resilience of a community dedicated to long-established racing traditions.

Still, while the world The Last Race shows is in decline, perhaps it deserves to survive.

This is old school car culture, not much different than it was in the 1950s, real, raw Americana. It shows average people who are passionate about their cars. What could be more American than that?

The Last Race is a beautiful film that is impressive in what it is able to do aesthetically and rhetorically. It is able to find beauty in this Long Island community while still remaining clear-eyed and thoughtful.

The Last Race feels like the work of someone who wanted to make a documentary but had no clue what story he wanted to tell.