🎬 Americana (2025): Cast, Plot, Release Date & What to Expect from This Gritty Modern Western

🎬 Americana (2025): A Gritty Modern Western with a Star-Studded Punch

In Theaters August 22, 2025

Blood, greed, identity, dreams. In the dusty battleground where legacy and loot collide, Americana rides into theaters on August 22, 2025, delivering a bold modern-day western packed with tension, grit, and a cast that commands the screen. Directed and written by Tony Tost (making his feature film debut), the film blends crime, culture, and chaos into one unpredictable powder keg of a story.

Premiered to strong buzz at SXSW 2023, Americana is now galloping toward mainstream release — and it's already one of the most talked-about genre-blenders of the year.

🏜️ The Story: A Ghost Shirt, a Dream, and a Warpath

At the heart of Americana is a single object: a rare Native American ghost shirt, steeped in cultural significance and now on the black market. When this sacred relic is stolen, it becomes the prize in a chaotic chase that draws in outlaws, dreamers, veterans, and opportunists.

• Sydney Sweeney stars as Penny Jo Poplin, a timid but driven waitress with a big dream and an even bigger secret.

  
  

• Paul Walter Hauser plays Lefty Ledbetter, a lonely and heartbroken military vet whose code of honor will be tested.

  
  

• Eric Dane brings menace as Dillon MacIntosh, a ruthless enforcer hunting the artifact for a corrupt antiquities dealer (Simon Rex as Roy Lee Dean).

  
  

• Halsey makes her feature acting debut as Mandy Starr, a woman on the run from her own dark past.

  
  

• And Zahn McClarnon is the heartbeat of the film as Ghost Eye, a leader of an indigenous group fighting to reclaim the stolen relic.

As the artifact changes hands and bullets fly, each character is forced to confront what they’re really chasing — justice, revenge, redemption, or escape.

🎥 Cast & Characters

Actor	Role
Sydney Sweeney	Penny Jo Poplin
Paul Walter Hauser	Lefty Ledbetter
Halsey	Mandy Starr
Eric Dane	Dillon MacIntosh
Zahn McClarnon	Ghost Eye
Simon Rex	Roy Lee Dean
Gavin Maddox Bergman	Cal Starr
Toby Huss	Pendleton Duvall
Donald Cerrone	Sheriff Cole Pickering
Harriet Sansom Harris	Tish
Derek Hinkey	Hank Spears

🎬 A Modern Western with Cultural Weight

What sets Americana apart is its unapologetic look at the modern American West — not the Hollywood mythos, but the contemporary reality where cultural appropriation, historical trauma, and capitalism clash head-on. Tost’s script is sharp and poetic, with a strong sense of place, while Nigel Bluck’s cinematography captures sprawling landscapes and intimate, human moments in equal measure.

And let’s not forget David Fleming’s haunting score, which threads tension and heart through every dust-choked moment.

⭐ Why You’ll Want to Watch

• 🎭 Sydney Sweeney leads with vulnerability and fire.

• 🎤 Halsey stuns in her first major film role, proving her acting chops go well beyond the stage.

• 💥 Modern-day western + heist thriller + emotional drama = a fresh cinematic experience.

• 🏹 Meaningful Indigenous representation via Zahn McClarnon and a story rooted in cultural respect.

• 🔥 Expect shootouts, standoffs, and a climax that will leave audiences breathless.

📅 Release Info

• In Theaters: August 22, 2025

• Runtime: 110 minutes

• Distributor: Lionsgate

• Language: English

• Rating: TBD, but expect intense violence and thematic depth

In the land of the free, nothing is free—not even the truth.

Americana is a must-watch for fans of neo-westerns, crime thrillers, and character-driven drama. Saddle up. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.

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