{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Blood for Dust | image = Blood for Dust poster.jpg | caption = Film poster | director = Rod Blackhurst | producer = {{Plainlist| * Noah Lang * Mark Fasano * Nathan Klingher * Bobby Campbell * Arun Kumar * Ari Novak * Petr Jákl * Bernard Kira * Ryan Winterstern }} | screenplay = David Ebeltoft | story = {{Plainlist| * Rod Blackhurst * David Ebeltoft }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Scoot McNairy * Kit Harington * Josh Lucas * Stephen Dorff }} | music = Nick Bohun | cinematography = Justin Derry | editing = Justin Oakey | studio = {{Plainlist| * R. U. Robot Studios * Highland Film Group * Short Porch Pictures * Nickel City Pictures {{idp|Witchcraft Motion Picture Company}} }} | distributor = The Avenue | released = {{Film date|2023|6||Tribeca Film Festival|2024|4|19|United States}} | runtime = 104 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/blood-for-dust-review-scoot-mcnairy-kit-harington-1235513369/|title='Blood for Dust' Review: Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington Carry a Sleek if Familiar Crime Flick|first=Jordan|last=Mintzer|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=June 12, 2023|accessdate=April 29, 2024|archive-date=June 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612234729/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/blood-for-dust-review-scoot-mcnairy-kit-harington-1235513369/|url-status=live}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }} '''''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.
''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 favorable 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 except 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== * Scoot McNairy as Cliff<ref name=odman>{{cite magazine|last=Odman|first=Sydney|title=AFM: Kit Harington Is Ready to Get "Gnarly" in Indie Thriller 'Blood for Dust'|date=November 1, 2022|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/kit-harington-interview-blood-for-dust-house-of-the-dragon-1235246576/|accessdate=April 22, 2023}}</ref> * Nora Zehetner as Amy * Ethan Suplee as Slim * Amber Rose Mason as Rebecca * Stephen Dorff as Gus * Josh Lucas as John<ref name=odman/> * Kit Harington as Ricky<ref name=odman/>
==Production== In May 2022, it was announced that McNairy, Harington and Lucas were cast in the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lang|first=Brent|title=Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington, Josh Lucas Starring in 'Blood For Dust' (EXCLUSIVE)|date=May 21, 2022|magazine=Variety|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/markets-festivals/scoot-mcnairy-kit-harington-josh-lucas-thriller-blood-for-dust-1235273929/|accessdate=April 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mendelsohn|first=Jon|title=Kit Harington Thriller 'Blood For Dust' Finds International Distributors|date=October 22, 2022|website=Collider|url=https://collider.com/blood-for-dust-acquired-kit-harington-scoot-mcnairy-josh-lucas/|accessdate=April 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ritman|first=Alex|title=Berlin First Look: Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington in Action-Thriller 'Blood for Dust' (Exclusive)|date=February 15, 2023|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kit-harington-scoot-mcnairy-blood-for-dust-film-first-look-1235326200/|accessdate=April 22, 2023}}</ref>
The film was shot in and around Billings, Montana, with principal photography wrapped in December 2022.<ref>{{cite news|last=Iverson|first=Jake|title='Blood for Dust' braves the cold for Billings film shoot|date=January 28, 2023|newspaper=Billings Gazette|url=https://billingsgazette.com/entertainment/blood-for-dust-braves-the-cold-for-billings-film-shoot/article_22d9f016-8862-11ed-84bf-4b6f249152e8.html|accessdate=April 22, 2023}}</ref>
==Release== ''Blood for Dust'' premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023.<ref>{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Jason P.|title=Tribeca Film Festival Is What Baking Did for Waitress|date=April 18, 2023|website=Vulture.com|url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/04/tribeca-film-festival-lineup-2023.html|accessdate=April 30, 2023}}</ref> The film had its European premiere at the Deauville American Film Festival in France on September 3, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodfellow |first=Melanie |date=2023-07-27 |title=Deauville American Film Fest Unveils U.S. Indie Comp Titles Including 'Manodrome', 'Past Lives', 'The Sweet East'; Guillaume Canet President Of Jury |url=https://deadline.com/2023/07/france-deauville-american-film-festival-competition-us-indie-1235449444/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blood for Dust |url=https://www.festival-deauville.com/en/movies/blood-for-dust/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville |language=en-US}}</ref>
In March 2024, The Avenue acquired the distribution rights to the film, with a release date on April 19, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |date=March 5, 2024 |title=Deauville American Film Fest Unveils U.S. Indie Comp Titles Including 'Manodrome', 'Past Lives', 'The Sweet East'; Guillaume Canet President Of Jury |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blood-for-dust-trailer-kit-harington-scoot-mcnairy-1235843182/ |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>
==Reception== ===Critical response=== {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|78||51|A grim throwback with a terrific cast, ''Blood for Dust'' is a spare and familiar story told with sturdy execution.|access-date=July 24, 2024}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Blood for Dust|website=Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_for_dust|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|58|5|access-date=20 May 2024}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Blood for Dust|website=Metacritic|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-for-dust|accessdate=20 May 2024}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Debruge|first=Peter|title='Blood for Dust' Review: 'Breaking Bad' Meets 'Fargo' in Rod Blackhurst's Montana-Set Drug Smuggling Thriller|date=June 11, 2023|magazine=Variety|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/blood-for-dust-review-1235635595/|accessdate=June 14, 2023}}</ref>
Jordan Mintzer of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Well-executed without breaking new ground."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Mintzer|first=Jordan|title='Blood for Dust' Review: Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington Carry a Sleek if Familiar Crime Flick|date=June 12, 2023|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/blood-for-dust-review-scoot-mcnairy-kit-harington-1235513369/|accessdate=June 14, 2023}}</ref>
===Accolades=== ''Blood for Dust'' won the Best Feature award at the 2023 San Diego International Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Film Festival Awards |url=https://sdfilmfest.com/film-festival-2023/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108233358/http://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://sdfilmfest.com/film-festival-2023/ |archive-date=2023-11-08 |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=San Diego Film Festival |language=en-US}}</ref>
At the Raindance Film Festival the film was nominated for Best International Film award, with McNairy nominated for Best Actor award.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|10669888}}
Category:Films shot in Montana Category:American crime thriller films Category:2023 crime thriller films Category:2023 American films Category:Films set in 1992 Category:American neo-noir films Category:Films about the illegal drug trade in the United States Category:Films about arms trafficking Category:Films about salespeople Category:Films about businesspeople Category:Films set in Canada