[3] The film stars Garrett Hedlund, Oscar Isaac, Mark Wahlberg, Louise Bourgoin, and Walton Goggins.

Tom decides to get away from it all by going to the desert in his jeep only to encounter an unexpected antagonist, who is a homicidal drifter named John "Jack" Jackson.

Tom manages to defend himself with a smaller retractable knife which he carries and which he is able to get out in time to overpower Jack and throw him out of the camp.

The next day, Tom is still in the desert and cannot return to L.A. because he had previously overturned in his jeep and cannot recover the disabled vehicle.

On closer inspection it proves not to be Jack, but a patrolling police officer whom Tom has inadvertently killed.

Meanwhile, Jack separately discovers the abandoned jeep in the desert the next day and manages to find a filled-out car registration form in it with Tom's name and address inside.

Meanwhile, the police discover the dead officer left behind in the desert and begin to gather evidence.

On December 4, 2012, Oscar Isaac and Jason Clarke joined the cast of the film for the lead roles.

[9] On October 2, 2013, Fran Kranz landed a role in the film, portraying a post-production assistant to Isaac's character.

The site's critical consensus states, "Mojave has no shortage of talent on either side of the camera; unfortunately, it amounts to little more than a frustrating missed opportunity.