A band of migrants brave the scorching desert, hunted by a serial killer as they cross the U.S./Mexican border. Despite the overtly political premise, the harrowing Desierto is not interested in making any real moral statement, other than perhaps that migrants shouldn’t be murdered. Nor is it overly concerned with characterization, as dialogue is minimal and mostly consists of practical one-liners (“Hurry!” “Jump!”). What remains is a straightforward yet moody thriller full of stunning images, punctuated with sudden gunshots. So long as you don’t ask for much else, it delivers.

The first shots are cramped, cutting between passengers as they wait in the back of a shoddy truck to arrive in the United States. However, the vehicle breaks down, leaving the migrants stranded in a vast, rocky desert. A few characters are briefly introduced: Moises (Gael García Bernal), the unambiguously named protagonist, and Adela (Alondra Hidalgo), a meek young woman for him to defend.

Soon they run afoul of Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), another man whose name is overburdened with symbolism. Armed with a vicious dog and a bolt action rifle, he slaughters many in a horrifying scene that sets the tone for what follows. His motives are never really fleshed out, but viewers are led to believe that he’s driven by some mixture of white nationalism and psychopathic glee. As he tracks them across miles of rocky plains, the hunt turns increasingly grim, with both sides struggling for survival.

But the most enthralling character in the film is, by far, the desert. From tight shots of tangled cactus scrubland to vast landscapes of shock-white sand, Damian Garcia’s camera captures the magnificent extremes of the border. The strange geometry of the rocky cliffs and the sheer hostility of the terrain lend all of it an alien, mythical quality. It seems unthinkable that humans could exist here.

The long chase eventually reaches a head, with the two leads stalking each other, not 10-meters apart, around a huge, dry boulder. At times, they pass so close to each other that their obliviousness strains belief. The scene reminds one of Buster Keaton, though it’s masterfully paced, stretching suspense to its breaking point.

Desierto offers edge-of-your-seat thrills in a breathtaking landscape. It may not change anyone’s beliefs about immigration, and no one is likely to be quoting any of its lines as they walk out of the theater, but  for 94 minutes, it keeps your heart pounding and your eyes fixed on the screen. Sometimes, that’s all a movie needs to do.