BLOOD FOR DUST

director/writer: Rod Blackhurst; screenwriter: David Ebeltoft, story: David Ebeltoft; cinematographer: Justin Derry; editor: Justin Oakey; music: Nick Bohum; cast: Scoot McNairy (Cliff), Josh Lucas (John, Drug Dealer), Ethan Suplee (Slim), Nora Zehetner (Amy), Amber Rose Mason (Rebecca), Stephen Dorff (Gus), Kit Harington (Ricky); Runtime: 105; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Petr Jákl, Bernard Kira, Bobby Campbell, Arun Kumar, Ryan Winterstern, Ari Novak, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Noah Lang; Short Porch Pictures; 2023)

“It’s well-executed and entertaining, but forgettable.“

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Rod Blackhurst (“Here Alone”/”Amanda Knox”) is writer-director of this routine but exciting  B-film, a bloody and dusty crime thriller (involving guns & drugs), that David Ebeltoft pens with Blackhurst from his own story. It’s well-executed and entertaining, but forgettable.

The rich atmospheric film, beautifully filmed by DP Justin Derry, is set in the snowy mountain vistas of Montana.

Traveling salesman Cliff (Scoot McNairy), a family man in debt, loses his job and worries how he will take care of his sick son. He feels like a failure because he hasn’t made much money so far and hungers for a chance to make a killing.

One day, Cliff meets by chance a pal from his dark past, Ricky (Kit Harington), and joins him and the local drug crime lord John (Josh Lucas) to take on a dangerous but lucrative job of dealing drugs and running guns.

When things get botched, the sympathetic Cliff is desperate to not let his son down and to make things right, even if it means double-crossing his partners. It leads to a most interesting finale.
 
It played at the Tribeca Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 3/18/2024  GRADE: B