What kind of film can you make with a budget of one million dollars? In the case of first time feature director Francis Galluppi, a very impressive one. The biggest influence on this tiny indie neo-noir/exploitation movie is definitely the Coen brothers' early work like "Blood Simple," where most of the tension is wrung from ordinary people doing ordinary things, like handing someone a cup of coffee or unlocking the trunk of a car. Despite a totally no-frills production, this crime thriller absolutely delivers where it counts.
The story is a simple case of the characters all being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A traveling salesman (Jim Cummings) stops at a filling station in remote Yuma County, Arizona, and is told by the cheerful attendant, Vernon (Faizon Love) that they're out of gas. A fuel truck is due to arrive any moment, so the salesman reluctantly waits in the diner next door, with the nice waitress, Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue). Unfortunately, two bank robbers, Travis (Nicholas Logan) and Beau (Richard Brake) arrive soon after. With no gas, they're also forced to wait, so they take over the diner and prevent Charlotte from alerting her husband Charlie (Michael Abbott Jr.), the local sheriff, and his deputy Gavin (Connor Paolo). More and more customers show up to the diner, including an elderly couple, a pair of young troublemakers, and a local rancher. And inevitably, the situation explodes.
"Yuma County" takes place in the 1970s, and the film has fun recreating the look of old '70s crime movies like "Duel" and "Badlands," with some classic oldies on the soundtrack. Everyone is dusty and haggard and wonderfully unpolished. I love that it's impossible to predict each twist and turn, because the characters are larger than life, but don't act like characters. They act like real people, who make impulsive decisions and stupid mistakes. Being smart or being vicious aren't all that helpful, and everyone seems to have the most awful bad luck. It's also a great cast - I only recognized Jim Cummings at first, but there are several veteran character actors here who make the most of limited screen time and almost nonexistent characterization. I wanted more time with everyone, from the salesman to the two latecomers in the last act, who are onscreen for maybe three minutes. This is a very rare movie this year that I could have watched for another hour or two, but it wisely doesn't outstay its welcome.
I also love the low budget feel of the production, which gives "Yuma County" a scroungy authenticity that is sorely missing in recent studio action films. There's such an exactness to the narrative that makes it easy to become immersed in this little universe, composed of a few buildings in the middle of nowhere. It's not quite a one-location movie, as I've seen described in other places, but it's close. And it's such a joy to discover that "Yuma County" has better thrills and chills than most of the blockbusters released in theaters over the summer. The last scene in particular is glorious - it evokes such great memories of similar ridiculous stunts from the pre-CGI age - and if it wasn't done practically, don't tell me. I never want to find out otherwise.
"Yuma County" hasn't been widely seen, understandably, but Francis Galluppi is quickly moving on to bigger things. He has been hired to direct an "Evil Dead" movie by old Coens collaborator Sam Raimi, and I couldn't be happier for him or more enthusiastic about seeing the results.
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