After having shot an innocent bystander in Afghanistan, Jack (Aaron
Gaffey) quit the forces and moved out to the desert, where he tries to
find redemption and himself, and his only companion is Mo (Devin Barry),
an Indian who has left his tribe - because he wasn't into running casinos.
Jack tries to make a meagre living working as a handyman, doing odd jobs
for other desert dwellers - like Ella (Amber Benson), a young mother whose
pipes are only emmitting mud. The thing about Ella is, she has a
meth-addict husband, Herman (Travis Betz) who owes drugdealer Buzz
(Jeremiah Burkett) a great deal of money - and somehow, in his
guilt-riddled mind he figures if he solves the problems for Ella and
Herman he can work off his own guilt. The thing is of course that Herman
is a meth-riddled prick with zero responsibility, and Buzz is a total
psycho who sees himself as some kind of revolutionary, cult leader or demi
god. So when Jack and Mo pay him a visit to talk things over quietly,
things get out of hand to such an extent that Buzz's bar gets blown sky
high. Jack, Mo and Herman get away of course, but Buzz has never been
any good at losing, so eventually, he leads his followers to Ella's place,
takes Ella, Jack, Mo and Herman captive, claims Ella's baby his own, to
avoid competition he has his followers eat (!) the sheriff (Ezra
Buzzington), and really makes all of this a sicker-than-sick event. So
are our heroes done for? Or are we in for an even more explosive finale? Dust
Up is quite simply ... wild! And it's not so much that it's explicit
in its imagery (though it doesn't shy away from anything much), but it's
the restless pace paired with the sheer outrageousness of its story that
keep the film afloat just so nicely. Add to this a very competent cast and
of course the great desert scenery, and you've got yourself a pretty good
film. Recommended - at least if you enjoy the wild side of moviemaking.
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