There’s a newly appointed sheriff in town, and he’s swole and easy on the eye. Sheriff Luke Easton (Kellan Lutz) returns to his small town to find confusion, lies, and corruption. Along with his deputy, John Sites (Cam Gigandet), the two uncover a web of lies that connect to shady businessmen and the cartel. Without knowing who to trust, the local police department has its hands full investigating a pair of mysterious murders and how they’re possibly linked to the bad characters taking over town.
So here’s the deal. The cast is a collection of fun actors that I like… that just so happen to be in a film that isn’t the best. The acting was decent, but the flow of the movie was to its detriment. The transitions were slow and delayed, like what you’d expect watching a TV series. The entire film felt disjointed and some of the minor characters really weren’t up to snuff. It was a low-budget film that looked and felt low-budget, which is unfortunate because it had potential.
The characters were easy to embrace, which boded well for the movie since it gave something to hold on to. Chad Michael Collins, Texas Battle, and Helena Haro all did great jobs. My favorite was Mike Ferguson’s portrayal of Ezra Craft, a local businessman who was indebted to Jack Danes, who was played by Collins. I’m used to seeing Lutz as law enforcement since he starred in FBI: Most Wanted, and for the most part, he played a good screw up who changed their life. Gigandet, who was recently in Love Hurts, gave the best performance of them all as the jealous deputy with a gripe. And let’s not forget the mini-Twilight reunion.
Budget be damned, this could’ve been a lot better. Never mind that the hotel scenes look like they were shot at a Knights Inn off of I-75 in Georgia, but I was blown away by how poor the editing was. Saban Films has a slate of upcoming films that look interesting and show promise, but this is not one of them.
Desert Dawn gets a 5 out of 10. The film is rated R for violence and language. Once it’s available to stream, if you have nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon, this would hit the spot. You’ll either find it satisfactory or get a kick out of the small missteps here and there (like the “cadaver” you can see flinch).
Desert Dawn will be available in select theaters, on digital, and On Demand on May 16.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Saban Films
Genre: Action, Crime
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: May 16, 2025