J.J. Abrams is the master of introductions, and the opening moments of Duster, his latest TV series for Max, are no different. The poppy ‘70s thriller, co-created by writer and executive producer LaToya Morgan, opens with a pay phone ringing in the middle of the desert. Then comes a red coupe speeding down the highway — it drifts to a stop and out walks Jim Ellis (Lost heartthrob Josh Holloway) to pick up the phone and receive his next assignment. He’s a driver for the crime boss Ezra Saxton (Keith David): whatever he needs, he’s keen to provide it. This time around, Jim’s mission includes a taco restaurant, a high-speed chase across state lines, and the delivery of a human heart on ice. It’s an effective way to kick off a stylish new period thriller, but Duster is so much more than its aesthetic flourishes, however hypnotizing they may be.
Duster is the kind of crime story that once felt lost to time. It’s a slow-simmering revenge thriller couched within an off-beat buddy comedy — and it truly sings once Holloway’s cocksure getaway driver meets his match in FBI Agent Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson).
