Blood for Dust

Set in 1992, in the midst of Montana’s unforgiving winter, Rod Blackhurst’s Blood for Dust’s slow-burning narrative follows Cliff (Scoot McNairy), a beleaguered travelling salesman desperate to cover his mounting mortgage and medical procedures for his terminally ill son. Drawn into the dangerous underworld of drug-running and gun-smuggling by his former colleague Ricky (Kit Harington), Cliff’s desperate bid for survival spirals into a tale of greed, betrayal and self-destruction.

The crime thriller paints a gritty portrait of a desolate criminal underworld at the close of the 20^th century. Justin Derry’s cinematography captures the harsh beauty of snow-covered foothills and the warm, dimly lit interiors, both contributing to the film’s pervasive sense of dread. Every frame feels authentic and grounded in a time and place where the air hangs heavy with despair. Immediately calling to mind many other male leads of the genre, Cliff is a complex, contradictory character who oscillates between pitiable desperation and quiet ruthlessness. Caught between guilt, grief and self-justification, McNairy portrays him as both repulsive and sympathetic, making his moral decay feel both inevitable and tragically inexplicable. His interactions with crime boss John (Josh Lucas) are charged with unspoken tension, as the latter’s calm yet threatening presence underscores the dynamics of power and exploitation. Ricky, with his swaggering bravado and latent menace, serves as Cliff’s perfect foil, with Harington delivering charm laced with an unpredictability that keeps audiences on edge. 

Co-written by Blackhurst and David Ebeltoft, Blood for Dust hits familiar notes within the crime genre, featuring betrayals, shootouts and mounting suspense. While the first act overstays its welcome, the film distinguishes itself in the quieter moments between bursts of violence. It is during these reflective interludes – such as Cliff’s unappetising meals, half-hearted prayers and strained conversations with his wife (Nora Zehetner) – that the story finds its emotional core. However, these intimate sequences don’t fully offset the narrative’s reliance on genre conventions. Blackhurst’s nods to neo-noir are appreciated, but the film’s climax unfolds with disappointing predictability, and its thematic exploration of moral degradation in the face of survival is handled like a time-worn fable. Ultimately, it is Blackhurst’s atmospheric direction, McNairy’s layered performance and the stark, unforgiving winter that introduce something novel to a familiar arc.

Christina Yang

Blood for Dust is released digitally on demand on 13^th January 2025.

Watch the trailer for Blood for Dust here: