Review of Desierto (2015) by The D — 01 Jan 2016

In Jonás Curaón's impressive debut, an American armed with a rifle with seemingly unlimited ammunition and a relentless dog hunts down illegal immigrants in the desert region of the US-Mexico border.

Essentially a horror/slasher thriller, but one with a strong political message behind it, Cuarón took a leaf from Steven Spielberg's debut in Duel, which is not a bad idea at all. He keeps the script lean and let the dynamic camera work do the talking.

So even though the narrative is genre specific with fairly predictable plot beats, the film remains visceral and intensely exciting to watch.