Blood for Dust review
With a stronger sense of urgency, Blood for Dust would be a captivating and mesmerizing, crime thriller. Instead, it’s a patience-taxing slow burn that pays off its snoozy pace with one quick burst of excitement. That makes for a passable one and done experience that doesn’t offer enough to make for satisfying repeated viewings.
Scoot McNairy plays Cliff, a hard-working traveling salesman who’s not seeing the financial benefits of his challenging career path. Cliff is a smart guy and is dedicated to his jobs. He also might be a little too smart based on his cloudy past, which keeps costing him work. And he’s got a knack for spotting when an employer is getting one over on him. Again, not a good trait for long-term job security.
This nomadic lifestyle wouldn’t be so bad if Cliff didn’t have a loving wife, Amy (Nora Zehetner, Heroes) and a cancer-stricken child back home. The bill collectors aren’t interested in Cliff’s hard-luck stories about finding steady pay. Cliff needs something solid and tangible ASAP.
McNairy has thrived on these kinds of roles for years. The world-weary guy beaten down by life just trying to make it through another day. It’s no surprise then that he so quickly earns viewer buy-in for Cliff’s plight. McNairy offers such a strong average guy performance that as layers and secrets start getting pulled back Cliff’s sins don’t seem all that bad. Especially given the root cause for most of those actions.
Enter his old colleague Ricky (Kit Harington, Eternals) who happens to have a great opportunity for him. Director/co-writer Rod Blackhurst and co-writer David Ebeltoft make no illusion that Ricky isn’t a shady dude. Maybe it’s the handlebar mustache or matter-of-fact thoughts on the incident that capsized their careers.
Harington dips in and out of whatever accent he’s trying to pull off but is otherwise effective in pulling off this role. Ricky is far more reckless and can be a bit of a wild card. That’s largely why Cliff stopped hanging out with him. But…desperate times. Harington cultivates the mystery if Ricky is a danger to himself or to Cliff with his impulsive actions without tipping one way or the other.
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Ricky’s big idea to score some major cash is to set Cliff up with drug cartel kingpin, John (a nearly unrecognizable Josh Lucas). Cliff passes the smell test and is assigned to make a drop with John’s main enforcer, Slim (Ethan Suplee, The Wolf of Wall Street). Cliff keeps Amy in the dark about the true nature of this trip. She does encourage him to make a stop that uncovers another bombshell.
Blood for Dust is very reminiscent of Killing Them Softly, the 2012 crime thriller that ironically also featured McNairy. That film also featured a lot of talking, which was understandable to a degree given its cast including Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Ben Mendelsohn, Richard Jenkins and Ray Liotta. Likewise, Blood for Dust acquits itself well with its cast including Amber Rose Mason a strong one scene cameo from Stephen Dorff.
In between the extended monologues there was some capable action sequences.
Blackhurst isn’t concerned with making a shootout scene to rival Heat. The shootout scenes are quick, sudden and violent. There’s no glamor or moments where a character using a gun comes off as cool. There’s a harsh realness to these scenes, which often turn into desperate attempts to stay alive.
Nick Bohun’s score is at times distracting and others, an ideal complement to the unnerving tense situations at play.
Despite a relatively short run time of 100 minutes, the film feels too drawn out. Blackhurst likes to show the full scope of any environment. There’s lingering, slow pan shots of strip clubs, offices and abandoned homes that feel less like atmospheric setting and more like killing time.
Blood for Dust is very well performed, written and shot. It would have been a riveting 85-minute movie but the slow, dragging pace dulls too much of its intensity and lasting impact.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Photo Credit: The Avenue