Movies

Revving engines, thrills and drama drive ‘Duster’ and ‘Motorheads’

BBG News

Among all characters, perhaps even before dogs and horses, none are as indispensable on-screen as the automobile, playing a crucial role in films.

Cars, whether self-driven or not, are some of the most lively non-living entities, often resembling cartoons with their distinctive voices, personalities, and names. They hum, they growl. They’re stars in their own right, like the Batmobile, the Munster Koach, James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, K.I.T.T. (the modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am from “Knight Rider”), the Ford Grand Torino (nicknamed the Striped Tomato) driven by Starsky and Hutch. They symbolize freedom, power, rebellion, or even evil. Entire films revolve around them and their extraordinary abilities, but even when they’re not performing stunts like jumping, flipping, or crashing, they play a crucial role in assisting real-life characters in accomplishing their tasks.

Max’s ‘Duster’,” currently available for streaming, and “Motorheads,” set to premiere on Tuesday on Prime Video.

‘Duster’, a show developed by J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, is named after the supernaturally shiny cherry-red Plymouth driven by the protagonist. It offers a delightful blend of humor and drama, heavily influenced by 1970s exploitation films. The show pays tribute to fashion, trinkets, and interior design from that era. Josh Holloway portrays Jim Ellis, a character reminiscent of his charismatic, slightly criminal Sawyer from ‘Lost’, with a dash of Matthew McConaughey’s charm.

Jim, a man who’s never attempted a three-point turn, operates out of Phoenix for crime boss Ezra Saxton, played by Keith David in an impressive performance. His job involves fetching items and dropping them off, with the first delivery revealing a human heart obtained from a fast-food drive-through, intended for Saxton’s ailing son, Royce (Benjamin Charles Watson). Accompanying him on these trips is Luna (Adriana Aluna Martinez), who affectionately refers to Jim as “uncle,” though the nature of their relationship may be subject to interpretation. Luna’s mother, Izzy (Camille Guaty), is a truck driver, transporting goods being another popular aspect of ’70s culture. Later, Izzy will find herself motivated to become a union leader.

The Ellises and the Saxtons, along with their daughter Genesis (Sydney Elisabeth), share a rich past – Jim’s father, Wade (Corbin Bernson), fought alongside Ezra in World War II, and his late brother also worked under him. Saxton is a character you can’t help but feel some empathy for despite his violent actions; there’s a genuine warmth between the families, though it’s unclear when or where boundaries might be set, only that they likely will be at some point.

In Jim’s modest, yet stable, even joyful environment, enters FBI agent Nina Hayes (portrayed by Rachel Hilson with energy), recently graduated from Quantico and eager to leave a significant impact. As a Black woman, she’s informed that “there’s no demand for an agent like you,” but she’s been placed in Phoenix due to lack of alternatives. She teams up with the jovial Navajo agent Awan (Asivak Koostachin), seemingly a tactic to contain minority agents in a manageable area, and is given the Saxton case, considered “cursed” and so frustratingly complex that it’s generally avoided.

In simpler terms, this story follows agents who are considered unimportant and often disregarded, including Jessica (played by Sofia Vassilieva), a woman underestimated like a reliable office assistant. They’ve been given a case that seems insignificant. This plot structure is typical for procedural shows, and it subtly touches on issues of discrimination, reflecting both the era in which it’s set and our modern times.

In a turn of events, Nina manages to collect proof showing Jim illegally transporting the stolen heart across state borders and hints that Saxton might be involved in his brother’s demise. As a result, she pressures and lures him into becoming an undercover informant, marking the start of a precarious alliance. Despite their storylines often unfolding independently in separate episodes, they remain intertwined.

Duster” isn’t a series that focuses heavily on making sense to create its impact, much like “Lost.” It revolves around an intricate plot with a climax similar to the end of a long-winded joke, but its appeal lies in its dramatic scenes, action sequences, and unexpected elements. For instance, Patrick Warburton plays an Elvis-loving mobster named Sunglasses, Donal Logue portrays a corrupt, twisted police officer with religious leanings, Gail O’Grady depicts Jim’s stepmother, a former showgirl who isn’t fond of him, and there are LSD trips, bizarre puzzles (similar to those in “Lost”), an airheaded portrayal of Adrienne Barbeau (Mikaela Hoover), with the real Adrienne Barbeau, a genre film legend, making an appearance. The series also features brief appearances by Richard Nixon in an AI format and a cheerful Howard Hughes (Tom Nelis) in his Kleenex-box slippers. It’s most enjoyable when viewed as a mix of attitudes, vibrant energy, sounds, and colors rather than taking it too seriously.

The opening titles are super cool.

Motorheads” can be seen as a contemporary version of teenage soap operas, but instead of focusing on relationships and school drama, it revolves around cars. The town’s inhabitants, under the creative direction of John A. Norris, have an unusual fascination with cars, and the series combines this passion with human narratives. It offers a variety of automotive entertainment, from drag racing to classic car collecting. Whether it will appeal to its intended audience is uncertain, but I must admit, I’m not entirely familiar with today’s youth culture.

In a familiar narrative setup, our fresh-faced characters – Michael Cimino portraying Zac and Melissa Collazo as Caitlyn – have recently moved to Ironwood, a seemingly contradictory small town known as the Rust Belt hamlet, following their mother Samantha (Nathalie Kelly) who grew up there. This town is where their father, Christian (Deacon Phillippe in flashbacks), a local legend for his driving skills, vanished 17 years ago. Ryan Phillippe, a well-known actor, plays the role of Uncle Logan, who operates a garage that seems to be lacking in business but offers an abundance of affection and insight. The town’s history often resurfaces, with footage of Christian skillfully navigating police cars during a robbery being frequently shown, although such incidents are common news in places like Los Angeles.

In the heart of the series, Zac’s narrative, while somewhat predictable, isn’t just about his sudden ambition to be Ironwood’s top speed racer or his textbook-style affection for wealthy girl Alicia (played by Mia Healey), who is Harris (Josh Macqueen’s) girlfriend and a rich bully with a Porsche, but also harboring hidden pain. If you’re drawn to such characters, then go ahead and develop feelings for him. However, it’s Caitlyn, his sister, who offers a more intriguing storyline. She prefers constructing cars over racing them and might be the series’ most emotionally stable character.

In the series, she forms a friendship with Curtis (Uriah Shelton), a tall and handsome classmate from the shop, whose older brother Ray (Drake Rodger) serves as a sinister influence on Zac. Marcel (Nicolas Cantu), the stereotypical “nerd who becomes the hero’s sidekick,” works at the diner his father once owned, harboring dreams of automobile design. Together with Zac, these four misfits make up the group of underdog protagonists in the show.

In Ironwood, they’ll deal with their sometimes stormy relationships among themselves, typical for teenagers, and with the older generation, who also have their disagreements. The past in Ironwood never truly fades; emotions will resurface, and old conflicts will reemerge. (The disappearance of Christian remains a mystery.) Despite its familiar themes, the show is remarkably realistic, balancing extreme events with everyday occurrences, making it easy to follow. (Notable is Colin Hoult’s skillful cinematography.)

Drive on.

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2025-05-17 01:01

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