Desert Saints

Arthur Banks is an Ivy League-educated hitman for Latin American drug cartels who uses solitary women as cover for his hits. His tungsten-core bullet marks his clinical, meticulous approach to assassination. He intentionally stays in rural desert areas when not working, wary of the FBI's reach.

Agent George Scanlon leads the FBI team in a relentless pursuit of Banks after a witness is killed and evidence is left without a trace. He carries the weight of a five-year career damaged by Banks’ past actions. The chase stretches across the Southwest as the bureau closes in.

In a desperation move, the FBI plants Bennie Harper, posing as a drifter, to lure Banks into one final job. Harper’s cover initiates a dangerous cat-and-mouse pursuit across desert roads. The setup is designed to pull Banks toward cartel connections and FBI exposure.

Banks picks up Harper and frames their encounter as a last job: a hit on a Mexican presidential candidate. He hints at wanting out, but the plan presses on. That night, Banks and Harper become lovers at a remote motel, complicating the mission with personal stakes.

On the road, Banks confides to Harper that he hates his job but has had no real chance to escape for years. He reveals a craving for a different life, which adds tension to their already perilous arrangement. Harper’s growing interest in him blurs the line between operation and romance.

In Mexico, Harper shoots Banks to stop him from carrying out the assassination and handcuffs him to a balcony. She then eliminates the hired thugs and takes their payoff key, signaling a double-cross of both Banks and the FBI. She explains that this would allow her to leave with the money while the bureau would be eager to capture him.

Despite Harper’s betrayal, Banks manages to escape before Scanlon can respond. The pursuit resumes as Banks vanishes, leaving Harper and the investigators with nothing concrete to arrest him. The FBI loses his trail once again as the chase moves forward.

Back in pursuit, the FBI follows a supposed Harper sighting to a local airport, only to discover the clue was a ruse. Agent Marbury has been in disguise, and she sheds the disguise in a washroom, enabling Harper to escape undetected. The misdirection buys Harper more time and money.

In the desert finale, Harper and Agent Marbury meet, kiss, and discuss their newfound wealth, signaling a surprising alliance beyond the case. The women walk away together toward an unknown future. Banks remains unseen in the brush, his fate left unresolved by the onlookers.

The screen lingers on Banks’ boots and a bloody hand in the distant brush, unnoticed by the two women. A single gunshot rings out after the screen goes black, leaving his fate open to interpretation. The climactic result hinges on whether Banks survives or falls silent in the desert.

Harper and Marbury seem to secure their future by walking away with the payoff and a new life ahead. The film foregrounds their successful escape and the moral ambiguity of their newfound wealth. The two women disappear into the horizon, tied together by more than just money.

Scanlon and the FBI are left with questions after Banks disappears into the landscape. The movie ends without a clear resolution to the case, underscoring the seductive danger of Banks’s world and the price paid by those who chase him. The consequences of the cat-and-mouse game linger beyond the final frame.