War vet Jack (Aaron Gaffey, THE REVOLTING DEAD) is searching for inner peace through Yoga while working as a plumber in the middle of the desert. His only friend is stoner Mo (Devin Barry, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ADAM & EVE) who has embraced his Native American heritage as a way to get chicks. Jack's life gets complicated when he answers a call from Ella (Amber Benson, TABOO) who has been living alone in a former foreclosed home rife with home improvement problems while her husband is away on tour. Ella's husband Herman (Travis Betz, LEGEND OF THE SASQUATCH) is actually closer than she thinks, since he's a crackhead who has run up quite a huge tab at the "House of Buzz" and Buzz (Jeremiah Birkett, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) wants payment any way Herman can get it. Herman fails to "hustle" the money out of Jack, but Jack takes pity on Ella and tries to help Herman out by offering a down-payment to Buzz out of his own pocket. This does not go over well with Buzz, and an all-out brawl ensues that results in the explosive demolition of the "House of Buzz". When Buzz and his henchmen - including Mr. Lizard (Al Burke, WEREWOLF IN A WOMEN'S PRISON), strung-out Shakes (Christian Badami, FREEWAY KILLER), his girl Tammy (Galicia Vaca Lopez, THE DEAD INSIDE), and Keith (associate producer Mike C. Nelson) - and his speed-freak followers capture Herman, Ella (and her baby), and Mo, stoic Jack reverses his non-violent stance with extreme prejudice...

DUST UP looks pretty much like the grindhouse era viewed through Quentin Tarentino/Robert Rodriguez-tinted lenses; fortunately, the film is immensely entertaining and amusing on its own (although it certainly tries, it's gore setpieces are never as jolting as those in Tarentino's films). Despite the title sequence animation and some of the original score, the desert landscape (and the humor) as seen here seems less evocative of Sergio Leone than Russ Meyer (minus the jiggling D-cups). The film starts to run out of steam towards the end (then again, Buzz's ability to hold his followers enthralled is also waning during this time) and the climax - while gory and violent - lacks a certain ferocity (although the infliction of one compound fracture is appropriately wince-inducing), but one's interest is held throughout wondering how far the filmmakers intend to go. DUST UP reunites cast and crew members from the romantic horror comedy LO, which was directed by Betz, and featured Gaffey, Birkett, Barry, Lopez, and DUST UP director Ward Roberts (as an actor).