‘Duster’ evaluation: J.J. Abrams’ ’70s crime thriller is so enjoyable it must be unlawful

In 2025, HBO streaming service Max has discovered success by seeking to the previous. The Pitt channeled medical procedurals like ER, the real-time system of 24, and the facility of weekly episode drops — a godsend within the binge launch period — to turn into a hot-button present. Now, the ’70s-set Duster roars into motion to ship extra basic TV vibes, together with a Misplaced team-up between star Josh Holloway and sequence co-creator J.J. Abrams.

Duster creators Abrams and LaToya Morgan formed the whole sequence round Holloway, and it is apparent to see why. He is crackling with sufficient charisma to jumpstart a automotive, boasting the form of magnetic display presence {that a} lesser present would simply coast on. Fortunately, Duster is not content material to float by on the (appreciable) energy of Holloway alone. As an alternative, it builds out a gritty, groovy, odd-couple crime caper that is already seeking to stake its declare as probably the most enjoyable present of the summer time.

What’s Duster about?

Holloway might have been the point of interest for Duster‘s creation, however he is not the primary character we meet. That honor falls to new FBI agent Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson), the primary Black lady to work for the bureau. Tenacious, brilliant, but undermined at each alternative by her white male coworkers, Nina has fought tooth and nail to get the place she is. She’s fought even more durable to be assigned to a specific case: taking down the Phoenix-based crime syndicate run by Ezra “Sax” Saxton (Keith David). It is among the many hardest circumstances the FBI has ever confronted, to the purpose that the Arizona workplace has branded it cursed. However Nina has two issues that nobody else who’s labored the case earlier than has had: a private vendetta towards Sax and a person on the within.

That man is none aside from Jim Ellis (Holloway), Sax’s trusted driver. He might deal in beatdowns and the occasional organ trafficking, however he is obtained a coronary heart of gold. Look no additional than his tender relationship together with his “niece” — who’s actually his daughter — Luna (Adriana Aluna Martinez). As a result of nature of his work, Jim retains up the “uncle” guise for each Luna and her mom Izzy’s (Camille Guaty) sakes, however there is not any denying the love he has for both of them.

For Jim, Sax can also be nearly as good as household, so he would not activate him frivolously. Nonetheless, Nina has proof that factors to Sax harming Jim’s household in the identical approach he harmed Nina’s. That proof results in an uneasy alliance between the 2, and the pair got down to take down probably the most infamous man in Arizona.

Duster is a rip-roaring ’70s thrill experience.

Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson in “Duster.”
Credit score: Ursula Coyote / Max

After all, the investigation by no means goes fairly as deliberate. From undercover operations to run-ins with a crooked cop (Donal Logue), Jim and Nina usually discover themselves in scorching water. Watching them improvise their approach out of hazard is a blast, which Abrams and Morgan intensify with loving ’70s references and aesthetics.

Bell bottoms and retro musical stings abound in Duster, as do uber-stylish automotive chases and fisticuffs. There is a sense of playfulness to every of Duster‘s motion set items. The sequence relishes the squeal of tires on the highway and the cartoonish thwack of a landed punch. Generally even actual cartoons come into play, like an impressed Looney Tunes spoof. Elsewhere, the credit sequence is a Scorching Wheels-flavored joyride. Throw in characters with nicknames like “Sunglasses” and “Enrique the Blade,” and also you’re nostalgic enjoyable, pure and easy.

However even amid all this enjoyable, Duster finds time to get critical. The sequence examines the discrimination and microaggressions Nina faces on the FBI. She finds an ally in her half-Navajo associate Awan (Asivak Koostachin), who’s equally othered and dismissed by coworkers. The 2 bond over the mistreatment they face, in addition to the stress they really feel as representatives of their communities within the FBI. On the flip facet, additionally they talk about the disapproval they face from household about becoming a member of a corporation rooted in racism.

Whereas this extra critical subject material often clashes with the remainder of Duster‘s freewheeling enjoyable, it is not possible to make a present a couple of Black lady working within the FBI with out it. These character beats are important to fleshing out each Nina and Awan, and with Awan’s household disagreements specifically, it looks like Duster is already enjoying the lengthy recreation and interested by tales for future seasons.

Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson are a killer TV duo.

Rachel Hilson and Josh Holloway in “Duster.”
Credit score: James Van Evers / Max

Duster boasts an distinctive ensemble solid, from David’s completely sinister flip as Sax to Koostachin’s sweetly nerdy Awan. Anchoring all of it is the dynamite duo that’s Holloway and Hilson.

Regardless of their dueling backgrounds as an FBI agent and a legal, Nina and Jim share some fascinating parallels, like deceased members of the family with connections to Sax, or an inclination to interrupt the principles with the intention to get the solutions they want. Equally, Holloway and Hilson’s performances complement one another to a tee. He is extra of a charmer, all megawatt smiles and easygoing cool — even in the course of a battle! She’s extra of a go-getter, unshakeable and unwilling to take no for a solution. Collectively, they’re electrical.

Nina and Jim’s burgeoning friendship is only one of Duster‘s many delights, together with its unwavering stylishness and twisty conspiracy. Even with the occasional bump within the highway, Duster is nothing lower than an absolute joyride.

Duster premieres Could at 9 p.m. ET on Max, with new episodes streaming weekly.