The Last Temptation of Becky

by Mike McGranaghan

The thriller Becky revolved around an annoying MacGuffin. In that picture, a group of neo-Nazis break into a family’s home looking for a key they believe is hidden somewhere on the premises. We’re never told what that key is, or why it’s so important. The first sequel, The Wrath of Becky, references the key without explaining it. New sequel The Last Temptation of Becky finally answers the question, while also delivering a no-holds-barred anti-Nazi message. The main character even sports a jacket with the words “Fuck Nazis” scrawled on the back, so you know exactly where she and the movie stand.

Becky Hooper (Lulu Wilson) is now a CIA agent. She’s sent on a solo mission to Poland, where Hitler-worshipping General Wilhelm Ruess (Neil Patrick Harris) is carrying out a plan to establish a Fourth Reich. Posing as a visitor to Ruess’s family’s inn, which is not so coincidentally located near one of Hitler’s bunkers, she seeks to learn the details of this plan. It involves a doctor, Friedrich Metzger (James Urbaniak), and some genuine old-fashioned Nazi medical horror. There is only solution: kill all the Nazis. And that’s exactly what Becky does.

The Last Temptation of Becky is the crowning achievement of an accidental franchise. The original came out in 2020, topping the box office charts at a time when only drive-ins and a small percentage of independent theaters were open due to Covid. An eventual streaming release boosted its visibility, spawning the unlikely 2023 follow-up that significantly increased the Nazi-hating angle by mixing dark humor with graphic violence so that viewers were encouraged to cheer every extremist death. This third installment goes all-out on that count, making the Nazis more despicable than ever and devising gleefully sadistic ways for them to die.

In the process, the series has become a reflection of our time. Neo-Nazi and hate groups have been on the rise in recent years. Even more disturbingly, they’ve felt emboldened to come out from the shadows with very public displays of their bigotry. For those appalled by this fact, the Becky movies offer a catharsis. Watching the character unleash her anger on them serves as a reminder that this nonsense should never be tolerated and that we can – without the bloodshed, obviously – stand up against these losers. Last Temptation, in particular, is a rallying cry to let the haters know there’s nothing socially acceptable about their behavior.

Wilson continues to be appealing in the lead role, completely selling the idea that Becky feels no remorse whatsoever in slaying Nazis. The original’s “angry teen girl” angle no longer applies, allowing her to make the character a single-minded crusader – a Terminator for white supremacists, if you will. Harris makes a surprisingly good villain, exuding menace without tipping over into caricature. You can’t wait to see this guy get what’s coming to him. Urbaniak has a smaller part yet makes a big impression in capturing the essence of deranged Third Reich scientists.

Director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger) hits the right balance of pitch-black humor and serious gore. There are some big laughs in the film, but when it comes time to stop the Fourth Reich, Becky’s vengeance is ruthless. The Last Temptation of Becky may not be particularly realistic; it is, however, the ultimate feel-good movie for people who loathe Nazis.