Ah, fathers and sons. In Brett William Mauser‘s crime thriller, The Getback, a father and son reconnect, but not before thousands of rounds of ammo have been spent.
Buck (Cliff Dean) is the no-nonsense sheriff of his small town. When his son, Seth (Matt Lambo), unexpectedly shows up, Buck knows trouble is coming to town. Along with Seth is his firecracker of a girlfriend, Dakota (Meghan Morr). The duo has a Mexican cartel hot on their heels for what Seth owes them.
After Buck and Seth fail to patch up their relationship, Seth starts a fight that ends with the deaths of a few cartel henchmen. With no choice but to throw Seth in jail, Buck knows that the heat is on and things are going to get bloody unless he can somehow get his son out of trouble with the cartel leader. But as cartels go, what’s the fun in making a deal?
Seth and Dakota get cozy in the front seat of a car in The Getback.
“With no choice but to throw Seth in jail, Buck knows that the heat is on and things are going to get bloody…”
I’ll start by saying the crime and the violence are great in Brett William Mauser’s The Getback. It’s a modern Western, if you will, about a wild pair of lovers, Seth and Dakota, who like to live on the edge, both in the bedroom and by running cons to get by. Seth and Dakota mess around with the wrong people and drag innocent bystanders into it to pay their debts to the cartel. Then comes a slow and steady build-up of one gun and knife fight after another until we get to the final standoff. Not the most original story, but Brett William Mauser’s version is gripping from start to finish. Worth the price of admission.
What I liked most about The Getback is the story of fathers and sons, with Buck and Seth at its heart. Mauser creates two well-defined characters and lays out a clear backstory of their estranged relationship, giving dramatic weight to an already heavy film. Look, it’s easy to just say they are estranged father and son and leave it at that, but Mauser brings in the grandfather to underscore what a good father should truly be. The relationships in this film elevate the action, and Mauser has assembled a great indie cast led by Cliff Dean and Matt Lambo, with Meghan Morr for some much-needed spice.
The Getback delivers a modern indie Western that is more than knives, bullets, and clichéd relationships. It’s one of those films you pop on the television for a thrilling weekend.
For screening information, visit the The Getback official website.
"…But as cartels go, what’s the fun in making a deal?"
