Blood for Dust

Last updated
Blood for Dust
Blood for Dust poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byRod Blackhurst
Screenplay byDavid Ebeltoft
Story by
  • Rod Blackhurst
  • David Ebeltoft
Produced by
  • Noah Lang
  • Mark Fasano
  • Nathan Klingher
  • Bobby Campbell
  • Arun Kumar
  • Ari Novak
  • Petr Jákl
  • Bernard Kira
  • Ryan Winterstern
Starring
CinematographyJustin Derry
Edited byJustin Oakey
Music byNick Bohun
Production
companies
  • R. U. Robot Studios
  • Highland Film Group
  • Gramercy Park Media
  • Nickel City Pictures
  • Witchcraft Motion Picture Company
  • Short Porch Pictures
  • BondIt Media Capital
  • GoodWizard Productions
  • JaiD7 Pictures
  • Studio 507
Distributed byThe Avenue
Release dates
Running time
104 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Blood for Dust is a 2023 American action crime thriller film written by David Ebeltoft, directed by Rod Blackhurst and produced by Noah Lang, Ari Novak, Mark Fasano and Nathan Klingher. It stars Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington and Josh Lucas.

Contents

Blood for Dust won the Best Feature award at the 2023 San Diego International Film Festival. The film was released in the United States on April 19, 2024 to generally favourable reviews from critics.

Plot

Cliff, who in the past at his work had an affair with the wife of his company's CEO and who was involved in allegations of embezzlement, for which the CEO subsequently took the blame and committed suicide, loses his job as a travelling salesman of defibrillators after rumours of his involvement resurface when he attempts to blackmail his manager over poor defibrillator sales into giving him a higher commission. Unable to find employment elsewhere, he takes up an offer from his old colleague Ricky to become a drug- and gun-runner under his old travelling salesman cover for a local gang.

As Cliff makes his first run with a shipment of drugs and firearms, Ricky double-crosses both the gang and the recipients of the shipment and steals it. Suspecting that Ricky plans to have him framed and killed, Cliff alerts the gang's boss as to their whereabouts. During his conversations with Ricky it is revealed that Cliff persuaded the CEO of his old company into underhand dealings and thus Cliff was indirectly responsible for his suicide. As Ricky tries to sell the stolen drugs to local criminals, the gang arrives at the scene and in the ensuing shootout everybody excepts Cliff and Ricky gets killed. Cliff shoots Ricky dead and leaves a substantial portion of the money from the deal to the CEO's widow with whom he had an affair. Back home at a local church service with his wife, he gives a large donation to charity.

The film ends with a photocopy of Cliff's driver licence taken by the boss of the gang as security lying exposed at the gang's headquarters and easy for the police to spot.

Cast

Production

In May 2022, it was announced that McNairy, Harington and Lucas were cast in the film. [3] [4] [5]

The film was shot in and around Billings, Montana, with principal photography wrapped in December 2022. [6]

Release

Blood for Dust premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023. [7] The film had its European premiere at the Deauville American Film Festival in France on September 3, 2023. [8] [9]

In March 2024, The Avenue acquired the distribution rights to the film, with a release date on April 19, 2024. [10]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 78% of 46 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "A grim throwback with a terrific cast, Blood for Dust is a spare and familiar story told with sturdy execution." [11] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [12]

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Bolstered by a strong, poker-faced ensemble with the good sense to underplay whatever menace each brings to the table, Blood for Dust does a fine job of making a familiar gambit feel unpredictable." [13]

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Well-executed without breaking new ground." [14]

Accolades

Blood for Dust won the Best Feature award at the 2023 San Diego International Film Festival. [15]

At the Raindance Film Festival the film was nominated for Best International Film award, with McNairy nominated for Best Actor award.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Keough</span> American actress (born 1989)

Danielle Riley Keough is an American actress. She made her feature film debut in a supporting part in the musical biopic The Runaways (2010), portraying Marie Currie. Keough subsequently starred in the independent thriller The Good Doctor (2011), before being cast in a minor role in Steven Soderbergh's comedy film Magic Mike (2012). She had her first big-budget release in the action feature Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

Karen Moncrieff is an American actress, director and screenwriter. She is best known as the writer and director of critically acclaimed movies Blue Car and The Dead Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Harington</span> English actor (born 1986)

Christopher Catesby Harington, known professionally as Kit Harington, is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Jon Snow in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), for which he received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoot McNairy</span> American actor and producer

John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in Monsters, Argo, Killing Them Softly, 12 Years a Slave, Gone Girl, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In television, he starred in the AMC period drama Halt and Catch Fire, True Detective, Narcos: Mexico, and the Netflix western miniseries Godless.

<i>Pompeii</i> (film) 2014 historical film

Pompeii is a 2014 epic romantic historical disaster film produced and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. An international co-production between the United States, Germany and Canada, it is inspired by and based on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD that destroyed Pompeii, a city of the Roman Empire. The film stars Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, with Jared Harris and Kiefer Sutherland.

<i>The Death & Life of John F. Donovan</i> 2018 Canadian film

The Death & Life of John F. Donovan is a 2018 Canadian drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Xavier Dolan, in his English-language debut. The film stars Kit Harington, Jacob Tremblay, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Thandiwe Newton, Ben Schnetzer, and Jared Keeso. It deals with themes of celebrity, tabloid media in Hollywood, mother-son relationships, and homosexuality.

<i>Godless</i> (miniseries) American Western drama

Godless is an American Western drama television miniseries created, written and directed by Scott Frank. In the series, set in 1884, a young outlaw on the run from his vengeful mentor winds up in a small New Mexico town populated almost entirely by women. The seven-episode series began production in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in September 2016, and was released on Netflix globally on November 22, 2017. The series received positive reviews, and was named one of the year's 10 best by The Washington Post and Vanity Fair.

<i>The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter</i> 2018 American film

The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter is a 2018 American comedy-drama film directed by Jody Hill and written by Hill, John Carcieri, and Danny McBride. The film stars Josh Brolin, Montana Jordan, and McBride.

<i>Destroyer</i> (2018 film) 2018 film directed by Karyn Kusama

Destroyer is a 2018 American neo-noir crime drama film directed by Karyn Kusama, written and co-produced by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, and starring Nicole Kidman with Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Scoot McNairy, Bradley Whitford, and Sebastian Stan. The film follows a former undercover police officer (Kidman), who takes revenge against members of a gang, years after her case was blown.

<i>The Parts You Lose</i> 2019 film directed by Chris Cantwell

The Parts You Lose is a 2019 American thriller film starring Aaron Paul and Danny Murphy as a fugitive criminal and a deaf boy who befriend one another. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Scoot McNairy also star as the boy's parents. The film is directed by Christopher Cantwell based on a screenplay by Darren Lemke. The H Collective financed Gran Via's production of the film. Filming took place in Winnipeg, Canada. The Parts You Lose had its world premiere on March 14, 2019 at the 2019 Sun Valley Film Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho. Samuel Goldwyn Films released the film commercially in the United States on October 4, 2019.

<i>Brothers by Blood</i> American 2020 crime drama film

Brothers by Blood is a 2020 crime drama film written, directed, and produced by Jeremie Guez, based on the 1991 novel Brotherly Love by Pete Dexter. It stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Joel Kinnaman, Maika Monroe, Paul Schneider, Nicholas Crovetti and Ryan Phillippe.

A Complete Unknown is an upcoming American biographical drama film film directed by James Mangold and written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald. The film is about the controversy surrounding the switch to electrically amplified instrumentation by Bob Dylan. Timothée Chalamet portrays Dylan and also serves as producer.

<i>Becky</i> (2020 film) Film by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion

Becky is a 2020 American action thriller film directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, from a screenplay by Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye. The film stars Lulu Wilson, Kevin James, and Joel McHale. McHale and Wilson portray Jeff and Becky, a father and daughter whose vacation home is besieged by a gang of Neo-Nazis led by James's character, Dominick.

<i>Luckiest Girl Alive</i> (film) 2022 film by Mike Barker

Luckiest Girl Alive is a 2022 mystery thriller film directed by Mike Barker from a screenplay by Jessica Knoll, based on her 2015 novel of the same name. The film stars Mila Kunis, Finn Wittrock, Scoot McNairy, Chiara Aurelia, Justine Lupe, Thomas Barbusca, Jennifer Beals, and Connie Britton.

Elijah Brown is an American actor. He is known for his role as Dylan Walker on the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (2019). And also for playing Otto "Obie" Bergmann IV on the HBO Max series Gossip Girl (2021–2023).

<i>Nightbitch</i> (film) Upcoming film by Marielle Heller

Nightbitch is an upcoming American comedy horror film written and directed by Marielle Heller, based on the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder. It stars Amy Adams in the lead role, alongside Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Patrick Snowden, Emmett James Snowden, Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, Ella Thomas, Archana Rajan, and Jessica Harper in supporting roles.

Fairyland is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola. It is based on Alysia Abbott's memoir Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father. The film stars Emilia Jones, Scoot McNairy, Geena Davis, Cody Fern, Adam Lambert and Maria Bakalova.

<i>Baby Ruby</i> 2023 film by Bess Wohl

Baby Ruby is a 2022 American psychological horror-thriller film written and directed by Bess Wohl, in her directorial debut. It stars Noémie Merlant, Kit Harington, and Meredith Hagner.

<i>Speak No Evil</i> (2024 film) American film by James Watkins

Speak No Evil is an upcoming American psychological horror thriller film written and directed by James Watkins. It is a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name. The film stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy. Jason Blum serves as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions banner.

The Line is a 2023 American drama film written by Ethan Berger and Alex Russek, directed by Berger and starring Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Scoot McNairy and John Malkovich. This was the final film released during Angus Cloud's lifetime before his death on July 31, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (June 12, 2023). "'Blood for Dust' Review: Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington Carry a Sleek if Familiar Crime Flick". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Odman, Sydney (November 1, 2022). "AFM: Kit Harington Is Ready to Get "Gnarly" in Indie Thriller 'Blood for Dust'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ Lang, Brent (May 21, 2022). "Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington, Josh Lucas Starring in 'Blood For Dust' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ Mendelsohn, Jon (October 22, 2022). "Kit Harington Thriller 'Blood For Dust' Finds International Distributors". Collider. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ Ritman, Alex (February 15, 2023). "Berlin First Look: Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington in Action-Thriller 'Blood for Dust' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  6. ↑ Iverson, Jake (January 28, 2023). "'Blood for Dust' braves the cold for Billings film shoot". Billings Gazette. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Frank, Jason P. (April 18, 2023). "Tribeca Film Festival Is What Baking Did for Waitress". Vulture.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (2023-07-27). "Deauville American Film Fest Unveils U.S. Indie Comp Titles Including 'Manodrome', 'Past Lives', 'The Sweet East'; Guillaume Canet President Of Jury". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  9. ↑ "Blood for Dust". Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  10. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (March 5, 2024). "Deauville American Film Fest Unveils U.S. Indie Comp Titles Including 'Manodrome', 'Past Lives', 'The Sweet East'; Guillaume Canet President Of Jury". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Blood for Dust". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Blood for Dust". Metacritic . Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Debruge, Peter (June 11, 2023). "'Blood for Dust' Review: 'Breaking Bad' Meets 'Fargo' in Rod Blackhurst's Montana-Set Drug Smuggling Thriller". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (June 12, 2023). "'Blood for Dust' Review: Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington Carry a Sleek if Familiar Crime Flick". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  15. ↑ "2023 Film Festival Awards". San Diego Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.