Last Chance Charlie — John Lucas

Frankie Bastino has lost his enthusiasm for work. As a mob enforcer, he’s finding difficulty in performing his duties. In a profession that doesn't tolerate weakness, Frankie’s anxiety over hiding his affliction is making him sick. He can no longer stomach his work, literally. Disillusioned by his career choice and the pain he’s inflicted on others, he seeks an alternative to the criminal life. Roland Owens is a loser, a horse owner in deep with Frankie's boss, ‘Big Toe’ Jimmy Taurentelli. His once proud stable of horses is down to one perennial also ran, ‘Last Chance Charlie’. Roland’s one race away from losing Charlie and the only life he knows. When Frankie can’t complete a simple collection job, he is shown kindness by Roland and his long time veterinarian, Dr. Debra Keller. Together, they help Frankie figure out a way to leave the mob life behind. Frankie develops a special bond with ‘Last Chance Charlie’ that reinvigorates his spirit and gives him the courage to face the difficult choices he must make. Just one last job stands between Frankie and his freedom. The outcome of this will test his developing friendship with Roland and his budding romance with Debra. The action moves from the seedy underbelly of Newark street life to the excitement of horse racing at America’s oldest harness racetrack, Freehold Raceway, where a man can find salvation in a sulky, the fate of his soul determined by a photo-finish.