# The Last Days of American Crime
Released in 2020, **The Last Days of American Crime** is an American action thriller helmed by Olivier Megaton, with a script written by Karl Gajdusek and adapted from Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini's 2009 graphic novel of the same title. It stars [Édgar Ramírez](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgar-ramirez), Anna Brewster, Michael Pitt, Patrick Bergin, and [Sharlto Copley](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharlto-copley), and was released on Netflix on June 5, 2020.[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) The film was panned by critics, holding a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and its release drew particular comment for coinciding with the [George Floyd protests](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-floyd-protests) given its violent content and depictions of police brutality.[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Olivier Megaton; screenplay by Karl Gajdusek[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV) |
| Source | Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini's 2009 graphic novel (Image Comics)[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV) • [3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020) |
| Lead cast | Édgar Ramírez (Graham Bricke), Michael Pitt (Kevin Cash), Anna Brewster (Shelby Dupree), Sharlto Copley (William Sawyer)[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime) |
| Release | Netflix streaming, June 5, 2020; no theatrical release[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) • [3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020) |
| Runtime | 148 minutes (2h 29m)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) |
| Critical reception | 0% Tomatometer from 41 reviews; Metascore 15/100 from 12 critics, "overwhelming dislike"[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/) |
| Production companies | Mandalay Pictures, Radical Pictures, Radical Studios[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
In the near future, the United States government plans to broadcast a signal that will make it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit an unlawful act, as a final response to crime and terrorism.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s review identifies the device as the "American Peace Initiative," a signal beamed across the country that inhibits people from knowingly committing crimes, and notes that the looming deadline has produced a dystopia in which citizens run wild in the days before the signal takes effect.[6](https://www.avclub.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-is-a-bloated-sci-fi-hei-1843921424)
Against this deadline, career criminal Graham Bricke (Édgar Ramírez) teams up with [Kevin Cash](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-cash) ([Michael Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-pitt)), the wayward son of a crime boss, and Shelby Dupree ([Anna Brewster](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-brewster)), a black-market hacker, to commit the heist of the century and the last crime in American history before the signal goes off.[7](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80198975) Common Sense Media's plot summary describes the trio scheming to knock over a bank and steal a billion dollars, then barrel through the Canadian border in an armored truck before the signal, called the API, takes effect.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-last-days-of-american-crime) In the A.V. Club's account, Shelby plans to block the API signal just after it goes online, creating a window long enough for Bricke and Cash to escape with the money.[6](https://www.avclub.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-is-a-bloated-sci-fi-hei-1843921424)
## Development and production
The film adapts Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini's 2009 graphic novel, published by Radical Publishing and later reissued by [Image Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/image-comics).[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV) • [3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020) The project spent nearly a decade in development at Radical Studios. [Sam Worthington](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-worthington) was announced to star in and produce the adaptation in 2009, with Remender himself reported as adapting the script at that stage.[9](https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020) • [10](https://www.awn.com/news/worthington-ends-crime-america) In 2011, [F. Gary Gray](https://www.edgepedia.org/f-gary-gray) was attached to direct with Worthington starring, in a partnership between Im Global and Radical Studios announced at Cannes.[11](https://www.slashfilm.com/515507/gary-gray-direct-the-days-american-crime/) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni10459482/) According to the production history compiled by Saturation, Gray departed for *Straight Outta Compton*, Gerard McMurray circled the project in 2017, and Olivier Megaton came aboard in 2018.[3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020)
**Filming.** [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) took place in [Cape Town](https://www.edgepedia.org/cape-town), South Africa, from June to September 2018, with EuropaCorp providing finance and overseeing post-production; Rick Remender announced the start of filming on November 5, 2018.[3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020) • [13](https://www.comicsblog.fr/32764-Le_tournage_du_film_The_Last_Days_of_american_Crime_vient_de_deemarrer) Netflix acquired worldwide rights in 2019.[3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020) Netflix and EuropaCorp did not disclose a budget; industry estimates place production costs in the $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 range.[3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020)
## Release and reception
Netflix released the film globally on June 5, 2020, during the pandemic-related shutdown of United States theaters; it never received a theatrical or qualifying run.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) • [3](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020)
**Critical response was overwhelmingly negative.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 0% Tomatometer from 41 critic reviews, with the site's critics consensus reading "This Crime is punishment."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) Metacritic assigned a weighted score of 15 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike," with 9 of 12 reviews negative and 3 mixed.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/)
Reviewers repeatedly singled out the film's length and pacing. [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s John DeFore called it "a poorly imagined crime flick that comes nowhere near justifying its 2.5-hour running time."[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/) Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club, grading the film C−, wrote that the big heist only arrives in the final hour, revealing "both the propulsive entertainment value the filmmakers have been inexplicably stalling and the thinness of the whole enterprise."[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/) David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave it a "D−" and described it as "a braindead slog" and "a death march of clichés."[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/) Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called it "vile, ugly, and deeply incompetent," noting that the first real action scene, a car chase, does not arrive until 85 minutes in.[14](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-days-of-american-crime-movie-review-2020) Bernard Ozarowski of Loud and Clear Reviews made the same observation, placing the first action sequence nearly 90 minutes into the 149-minute film and faulting Megaton's action direction.[15](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-review/)
**Timing drew separate criticism.** The film's release coincided with the George Floyd protests, and critics noted the misfortune of releasing a film with violent content and depictions of police brutality at that moment.[1](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV) Peter Debruge of Variety wrote that the film seemed "woefully out of touch, inadvertently offensive" in light of events, pointing to a fight scene in which Sharlto Copley's character chokes Shelby as oblivious to the legacy of real-world police brutality.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/) David Fear of Rolling Stone asked "Netflix, what the hell were you thinking?" in a review that called the film's positioning as entertainment "nauseating."[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/)
**Audience scores were also low.** Rotten Tomatoes reported a 22% Popcornmeter score from more than 500 ratings,[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime) and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) listed an IMDb user rating of 3.8 from about 13,000 votes.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime)
## Availability
The film streams on Netflix, including the ad-supported tier, in 131 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada; it is not available on Prime Video, Disney+, Max, or other competing services.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime) • [16](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020-339095)
## References
1. [The Last Days of American Crime, Google Play Movies](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Last_Days_of_American_Crime?hl=en&id=9C0390269B410089MV)
2. [The Last Days of American Crime, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_days_of_american_crime)
3. [The Last Days of American Crime (2020) Budget on Netflix, Saturation](https://saturation.io/budgets/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020)
4. [The Last Days of American Crime streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime)
5. [The Last Days of American Crime critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime/critic-reviews/)
6. [The Last Days Of American Crime is a bloated sci-fi heist movie from the director of two Takens, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-is-a-bloated-sci-fi-hei-1843921424)
7. [The Last Days of American Crime, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80198975)
8. [The Last Days of American Crime, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-last-days-of-american-crime)
9. [The Last Days of American Crime, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020)
10. [Worthington Ends Crime in America, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/worthington-ends-crime-america)
11. [F. Gary Gray Will Direct Sam Worthington In 'The Last Days Of American Crime', /Film](https://www.slashfilm.com/515507/gary-gray-direct-the-days-american-crime/)
12. [Sam Worthington Preps For "The Last Days Of American Crime", IMDb News](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni10459482/)
13. [Le tournage du film The Last Days of American Crime vient de démarrer, ComicsBlog.fr](https://www.comicsblog.fr/32764-Le_tournage_du_film_The_Last_Days_of_american_Crime_vient_de_deemarrer)
14. [The Last Days of American Crime movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-days-of-american-crime-movie-review-2020)
15. [The Last Days of American Crime Film Review, Loud And Clear Reviews](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-last-days-of-american-crime-review/)
16. [Where to watch The Last Days of American Crime (2020), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/the-last-days-of-american-crime-2020-339095)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released 2020 to 2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license