If Pulp Fiction was the mother of all comebacks for A-list superstar John Travolta, then the tough and intense crime thriller MOB LAND is perhaps his second bite of the cherry. Travolta plays a small town sheriff up against a vicious, snakeskin boot wearing hitman, played by Stephen Dorff. Travolta is terrific in his role, a reminder of what a sensational actor he is when he’s given material that matches his talent.

Following in the footsteps of dark and gritty neo-noir classics No Country For Old Men, One False Move, and Killing Them Softly, series True Detective Series 3 (starring Dorff) and Justified, MOB LAND is a truly impressive debut from writer/director Nicholas Maggio, a sleek, bleak and thrilling excursion into the underbelly of rural American.  As well as car chases, botched heists and brutal high-powered gunplay, the film is also a powerful commentary on America’s opioid crisis, all played out over a razor wire taut script, where you know from the outset things are going to go South.

Featuring a superb performance from Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead) as a family man who ends up going up against the mob when a heist goes wrong, the film also boasts an outstanding support cast including Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars), Kevin Dillon (Entourage) as a small-time criminal getting in too deep, Robert Miano (Donnie Brasco) as a seriously scary crime lord, and Timothy V Murphy (Sons of Anarchy) as a grizzled deputy. But it’s Travolta’s show all the way, right down to the final bullet.

MOB LAND is in UK & Irish cinemas from 25 August