Last Night at the Alamo 1983

On the eve of demolition, The Alamo—a Houston dive bar—becomes a gathering place for regulars who reminisce about better days and debate what the future might hold. Ichabod, Steven Mattila, a cranky, young exterminator, arrives with his long-suffering girlfriend Mary, Amanda Lamar. Also joining the scene is Claude, Lou Perryman, a blue-collar regular who is furious after being kicked out of his own house, and Cowboy Regan, Sonny Carl Davis, who has resurfaced after a few days away and hopes to mobilize help to save the bar by contacting a former college roommate who now wields political clout in Austin.

As afternoon fades into evening, several patrons drift away to their homes or to a nearby bar called the B&B, a place Cowboy loathes because it’s seen as a “Yankee bar” with pricier drinks. Inside, Cowboy keeps the room lively with stories about his life, contemplates leaving the life he’s known, and even contemplates entering the movie business as an actor. He participates in a tequila drinking contest, gives Ichabod some money to take Mary to a motel for the night, and invites Claude to stay at his place when Claude’s plan to patch things up with his wife hits a snag.

Late in the evening, the hoped-for rescue never arrives and Cowboy is taunted by Steve, a former high-school bully who resents his presence. The taunting escalates into a barroom brawl that ends with the barman tossing them out and the Alamo closing up early. Outdoors, Cowboy clings to his stubborn sense of loss as Claude offers a ride home, and the two head into the night while the neon lights flicker and fade. Through these vignettes, the film sketches a portrait of a community grappling with change, pride, and the stubborn pull of a shared space.

Cradled by the closing lights, the film returns to Ichabod and Mary outside the shuttered Alamo. The couple’s argument, fueled by the motel incident earlier, ends with Mary ending things and driving away in her pickup while Ichabod, furious and thwarted, runs after her on foot as some of the remaining patrons cheer and laugh at the fallout of a night that marked the end of an era.