Deadland (2023) review: Almost a Tex-Mex spook-tacular

How many times have you watched a movie and been justly proud of yourself for guessing what’s coming next? Many? A few? Or maybe, if you’re being honest, never. First, the bad news. If you sit down to watch Deadland, you won’t be adding to your tally. The good? If you do, you won’t regret a second.

Even the quote “And death is only a horizon” from the film’s fascinating narration won’t give you a clue. This is supernatural suspense at its finest, showing why it’s sometimes not a bad idea to keep a running time to ninety minutes, instead of the marathons that are now all too commonplace.

The job of being a border patrol worker just got even harder for agents Waters (Roberto Urbina), Hitchcock (McCaul Lombardi) and Veracruz (Julieth Restrepo), after they dispose of the body of a detained immigrant (Chris Mulkey). With lawmen on their tail and the paranormal at play, they’re getting it in the neck from this world and the next, testing their camaraderie to its very limits. There could be more of the storyline discussed here because, quite frankly, you wouldn’t see what’s coming if it was floating down the Rio Grande in a multi-million dollar yacht.

The relationships between the three agents play out like those in Predator, but the similarities to other movies don’t end there, oh no. Pulp Fiction, The River Wild and The Hitcher are all up there, whilst the supernatural element is almost reminiscent of Marley’s Ghost from A Christmas Carol at times (you’ll see why). Such a weird concoction is made into something truly great by director Lance Larson, abley abetted by co-writer, cinematographer and producer Jas Shelton. Larson’s direction never loses control despite the constant subtle changes in pace and, although Deadland coming very close to being a little too weird at times, no real damage is done.

It’s sometimes difficult to keep up with the chemistry between the characters on occasion, but these are the only slight flaws in the script. So many of this genre over the last two decades have insisted on the entire movie being cloaked in darkness from start to finish. When daylight arrives in Deadland – which thankfully it does so that we can awe at the aforementioned cinematography – it’s no less mysterious, which makes a refreshing change.

If another film is released this year combining a better beginning and ending, you should fall over yourselves to go see it – what a finale it is! But that’s hardly surprising when you’re listening to humour as dark as the subject matter, which also manages to interweave complex religious themes into the mix, whilst never ever handing over the balance of power which shifts between the three unfortunate agents

This is as fresh and fascinating a film you’ll see all year. Deadland will be available to own or rent in the UK and Ireland from June 24 via Amazon Video, Apple TV, Sky Store and Rakuten.