Dust Devil (1992)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Richard Stanley

Writer:

Richard Stanley (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 1992 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

He's not a serial killer. He's much worse.

Plot:

A woman on the run from her abusive husband encounters a mysterious hitch-hiker.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Shape Shifter | Dust Storm | Woman's Neck Broken | Stranded

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert John Burke	...	Dust Devil (as Robert Burke)
Chelsea Field	...	Wendy Robinson
Zakes Mokae	...	Ben Mukurob
John Matshikiza	...	Joe Niemand
Rufus Swart	...	Mark Robinson
William Hootkins	...	Capt. Beyman
Terri Norton	...	Saarke Haarhoff
Russell Copley	...	Cpl. Dutoit
Andre Odendaal	...	Cpl. Bates
Luke Cornell	...	Soldier 1
Philip Henn	...	Soldier 2
Robert Stevenson	...	Rifle Boy
Peter Hallr	...	Marist Monk
Stephen Earnhart	...	Camper Driver
Marianne Sägebrecht	...	Dr. Leidzinger

Runtime:

103 min | France:87 min | Italy:87 min | USA:87 min

Country:

South Africa | UK

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:18 (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | France:-12 | Germany:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Namibia

Company:

British Screen Productions

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Richard Stanley]When Wendy is driving to Bethany at night, she falls asleep behind the wheel and is startled by the Dust Devil, who is on the side of the road transforming into a dog. Stanley himself is under the makeup.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Wendy slams on the brakes of her VW Beetle, she doesn't touch the clutch, but the car stops without stalling.

Quotes:

Joe Niemand: There's a whole lot of power in fingers and knots and knuckles and such. If you want to win a war, you gotta have a whole fistful of knuckles!
Ben Mukurob: You smoke too much, Joe.

Movie Connections:

References Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Soundtrack:

Desert Rose

Visually Breathtaking

Technically this film is an absolute triumph. Well directed , well edited and with some outstanding cinematography like the scene where the Dust Devil is in the bathroom looking into the mirror then suddenly the bathroom fades to black except for the illuminated mirror that begins to move further and further away from the camara , or the scene at the end where the South African Defence Force convoy slowly passes through the heat haze in the distance . I`m slightly surprised that the cinematography wasn`t nominated for anything at the more prestigious award ceremonies . Mind you that maybe because DUST DEVIL is flawed in some other ways. I can`t honestly say it`s all that well acted for instance , but its biggest problem is Richard Stanley`s unfocused script , in some parts it`s serial killer material , then becomes part western , then gets all mystical and most confusing of all tries to be a political allegory with lines like " Do you believe in God South Africa ? Only God can save you now " which left me puzzled as to the point it`s trying to make