To date, Jonás Cuarón’s main claim to fame comes as the co-writer for 2013’s hit Gravity - and his relation to noted director/father Alfonso. Jonás made his English-language feature debut with 2015’s Desierto.

A group of Mexicans attempt to illegally cross the border into the US. When their truck breaks down, they find themselves forced to proceed on foot.

An already risky journey becomes more harrowing when these folks encounter Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a self-appointed vigilante who uses force to halt border crossings. The immigrants find themselves stalked by this deranged “patriot”.

Back in 2015, Desierto already came with a timely topic, and that hasn’t changed in the ensuring years. Issues related to the US/Mexico border intensified over that span and turned into even more of a hot-button subject than was the case in 2015.

As such, I suspect how one views the story to Desierto will depend on your political POV. Of course, the film leans toward sympathy for the Mexicans, though it seems surprisingly even-handed in that regard.

Too even-handed, in my opinion, as the movie gives Sam a more sympathetic portrayal than the character deserves. Whatever one thinks of border issues, there’s no sane rational for a private citizen to murder every “illegal” he sees.

Sam stands as nothing more than a deranged psychopath, but the film seems reluctant to paint him that way. During Desierto’s sporadic exposition scenes, we get a view of Sam that doesn’t quite justify his actions, but it does explain his POV in a manner that could allow viewers to embrace his perspective.

This feels nonsensical. A maniac like Sam deserves no compassion.

Not that Desierto spends much time with plot or character development. Instead, the movie exists mainly as a cat and mouse thriller.

Unfortunately, it never becomes an especially good thriller, cat and mouse or otherwise. Some of that stems from the essential lack of story and embellishment of the roles.

While Desierto eventually offers rudiments about the participants, these stay too insubstantial to draw out anything substantial. The movie expects us to care about various fates… just because I guess.

If Desierto managed any real tension or suspense, then perhaps it could overcome its underdrawn nature. Unfortunately, the movie never develops these traits.

Instead, it feels plodding and monotonous. Again, better-developed characters might’ve compensated, but even so, the lather-rinse-repeat vibe of the film makes it tiresome.

Topics related to the US/Mexico border can create compelling narratives. Desierto doesn’t do so.

Desierto appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with a high-quality presentation.

Sharpness worked well. Mild softness crept into a few wider shots, but the majority of the film seemed accurate and concise.

I noticed no signs of jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes remained absent. The image also lacked any signs of source defects, so it stayed clean.

In terms of palette, Desierto opted for a mix of light teal and an arid, sandy impression. Though these hues didn’t light up the screen, they made sense for the material and came through as well-rendered.

Blacks seemed dense and dark, whereas shadows looked smooth and clear. The image satisfied.

Though not stellar, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack fared well. As expected, the film’s action-oriented scenes fared best, as they used gunfire and other elements to create a good impression.

The film’s score used the spectrum well, too, and quieter effects suited the story. These created a nice sense of place and acted to involve the viewer.

Audio quality satisfied, with speech that appeared natural and concise. Music seemed full and rich, with crisp highs and deep bass.

Effects followed suit and created dynamic material, as the various components showed fine range and impact. The movie used the audio well so this became a solid track.

The disc includes an audio commentary from co-writer/director Jonás Cuarón. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music and audio design, real-life influences, editing and related domains.

Cuarón brings us a disappointing chat. We find an awful lot of empty spaces, and even when he does comment, Cuarón tends toward banal narration of the film. Don’t expect much of interest here.

The disc opens with ads for The Bye Bye Man, In the Valley of Violence, The Take, Nocturnal Animals and Bleed For This. No trailer for Desierto appears here.

Rather than create an insightful look at issues along the US/Mexico border, Desierto simply offers a basic thriller. That would seem fine if it gave us a compelling thriller, but the end product feels tedious and dull. The Blu-ray boasts solid picture and audio along with a commentary. Desierto fails to develop into a dynamic tale.