Locally produced movie now available on streaming services

“The Final Run,” a locally produced movie, written and produced by Hilton Head Island filmmaker Walter Czura, is now available for viewing across North America on streaming services like Amazon Prime, Apple, Fandango, Google Play and others.

Locally filmed in waters near Beaufort, the movie is inspired by actual events that unfolded in this region almost 50 years ago, triggering “Operation Jackpot,” America’s first major marijuana smuggling crackdown in the 1980s initiated by President Ronald Reagan’s “War on Drugs” and executed by United States Attorney Henry McMaster now Governor of South Carolina.

The film delivers an emotionally charged crime drama in today’s setting where the fictionalized main character, Pierce Butler, a college-educated, former U.S. Marine and reformed smuggler from that earlier era, finds himself forced to organize “one final run,” not for greed, but to pay for his wife’s life-saving experimental cancer treatment.

Shooting for the movie was completed in early 2023. It premiered at the Beaufort Film Festival in February 2024 and was finally previewed for potential international distribution at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May of this year.

“It has been a long and arduous process, but I am thrilled that it can now be seen virtually everywhere,” said Czura. “The Final Run was previewed for potential international distribution at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May by Level 33 Entertainment Company, a Los Angeles based film distribution company. It attracted several international streaming services at the Festival because of its distinctive plot and southern noir theme, and is now available for viewing in several nations around the globe.

The full-length movie explores themes of redemption, love, and family loyalty. It also echoes the real-life exploits of those young and daring smugglers who lived life on the edge during that period, turning Lowcountry inlets into marijuana-running goldmines – until Operation Jackpot brought them down.

The main character is played by Jeff Fahey, an award-winning movie veteran who has appeared in more than 90 feature-length films and more than 50 TV series since his career began in the 1980s.  

Czura, who wrote the screenplay and produced the independent movie out of his own pocket, is a well-known local business entrepreneur who founded Marlin Outdoor Advertising Company, which operates across much of the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia.

Fahey gave Czura a warm tribute for his perseverance. “I was extremely impressed with Walter and what he has been able to achieve with this screenplay and film as a new producer. It’s a great accomplishment in a very competitive industry.”