Sam is a merciless, rifle-toting vigilante who, with his faithful but vicious Malinois dog, Tracker,[11] hunts for rabbits near the border and notices the group trespassing; with the help of Tracker and the use of his M1 Garand rifle, Sam kills most of the group, including Mechas and leaves Moises and Adela (Alondra Hidalgo) as the sole survivors after a long chase.

Meanwhile, Sam rests by a campfire with Tracker, describing to his loyal dog how he used to love the desert but now the heat is playing with his mind and he wants to escape from it.

In December 2015, STX Entertainment announced that it would release the film in North American theaters the following March.

The site's consensus reads "Desierto's thought-provoking themes and refreshing perspective are unfortunately offset by a predictable plot and thinly written characters.

[16] Dave Robinson of outlet Crash Landed reviewed the home entertainment release of Desierto awarding it 3 stars, taking note of its technical acumen in providing a thriller, but its "ill-defined script accomplishing nothing beyond passive entertainment" and of special note its complete lack of special features.