Writer-director Francis Galluppi is all set to helm a new installment in the long-running and wickedly fun Evil Dead franchise. But before that he’s turning back the clock with “The Last Stop in Yuma County”, his tense, gritty, and wildly entertaining feature film debut that at different times reminded me of everything from “The Petrified Forest” to “Jackie Brown” to the pulpy B-movie thrillers of the 1970s. That mash-up alone was enough to win me over.

There are also early Coen brothers vibes that emanate from every pore of this gripping neo-western that’s set mostly within a single location. It’s a character-rich crime thriller laced with black comedy that strategically builds suspense on its way to an inevitable powder keg finish that you’ll never see coming. And Galluppi presents it all with such panache, capturing a distinctly Southwest flavor and shrewdly commanding the film’s tricky tone in a way that brings the film’s many influences to light.

You won’t find an ounce of fat on Galluppi’s lean and taut story. Clocking in at a swift 90 minutes, “Yuma County” wastes no time cranking things up and kicking into gear. Set in the early 1970s, the movie opens with a traveling knife salesman (Jim Cummings) driving across the parched Arizona desert on his way to his daughter’s birthday party some four hours away. As he drives, news of a bank robbery comes across the radio – an early hint of what’s to come.

In need of gas, our unnamed salesman stops at a station in the middle of nowhere to fill up his tank. But the attendant, Vernon (Faizon Love) informs him that he’s all out and the fuel truck hasn’t yet arrived. With the next station 100 miles away, the salesman has no choice but to wait. So he heads to an adjacent diner where a waitress named Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) is just opening up for the day. After some small talk he slides into a red leather booth with a cup of coffee and the crossword puzzle from a day-old newspaper.

A few minutes later, two shady looking brothers, Beau (the always captivating Richard Blake) and Travis (Nicholas Logan) pull up in a green Ford Pinto matching the description of the getaway car from the aforementioned bank heist. They enter the diner and take a seat in the corner, also waiting for the fuel truck to arrive. Soon after others filter in including a neighborly elderly couple, Robert (Gene Jones) and Earline (Robin Bartlett), two movie-loving Bonnie and Clyde wannabes, Sybil (Sierra McCormick) and Miles (Ryan Masson), and a friendly local cowboy named Pete (Jon Proudstar). And just like that Galluppi light’s the fuse that slowly burns towards the film’s combustible ending.

The cast is superb, bringing personality to what is an eclectic blend of characters, each feeling perfectly at home in the rural Americana setting. Blake is especially good, conveying pure menace through his piercing line delivery and ice-cold stare. Cummings is also terrific playing an antsy observer who’s thrust into a nerve-racking mess. The great Gene Jones is always a treat and Donahue adds a charming yet smart and resourceful presence. We also get a really good performance from Michael Abbott Jr. as Charlie, the local sheriff and Charlotte’s husband.

Throughout “The Last Stop in Yuma County” Francis Galluppi shows instincts and control not often found in first-time directors. His keen storytelling doesn’t waste a second and he never tips his hand, leaving us in a constant state of suspense. Meanwhile Mac Fisken’s sun-bleached cinematography melds with the tunes of Roy Orbison, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and The Grass Roots to immerse us in a setting so vivid and well defined that you’ll feel the summer heat and taste the rhubarb pie. “The Last Stop in Yuma County” releases May 10th in theaters and on digital.

VERDICT – 4 STARS