The Stranger
“Where is he going, what’s he running from, and what is in the bag?”
Author: Matt Jennings
Photographer: Olgun Kordal / Matt Jennings / Vinny Russo
The neon sign for Caeser’s was bleeding pink across the wet black top, though it hadn’t rained in Nevada since June.
Atmospheric condensation, or maybe just the desert’s way of sweating out the scum.
He adjusted his tie in the rearview mirror of the Morgan. Dark tailored suit, two-button, notch lapel.
A man in his line of work didn’t wear trench coats unless he wanted the local vice squad checking his pockets for pawn tickets.
Whether he drew a paycheck from Her Majesty’s Treasury, a high-stakes bail bondsman in Reno, or a jealous husband with a Swiss bank account was a detail he kept strictly behind his teeth.
The brown paper bag on the passenger seat was well travelled. Sworn to secrecy, the content of the bag is a mystery to everyone. He was pretty sure it wasn’t money – money wasn’t the problem. Whatever it was, it was enough to draw some serious heat.
Microfilm, receipts, three carbon copies of a guest list from a private suite at the El Cortez.
Names that could turn half the Senate into private citizens by breakfast. For this amount of hassle it has to be something like that.
Leaving Sin City for the expanse of the desert was a good plan, he’d picked up a tail for the last two days and they were professionals. There were a dozen places to search and time was running out. Speed attracted the highway patrol, and state troopers had a habit of asking for two forms of identification when one was already hard enough to forge.
He knew the desert of old but nothing could prepare you for this heat. A good place to hide for a while was Nelson.
No laws in Nelson since the gold rush, but there were some good people.
Rattlesnakes or the heat, one of them will get you. The desert is in charge and reminds you at every opportunity.
At the twenty-mile mark, he reached down, felt the paper bag and decided.
He shouldn’t look – it was a condition of the job, but who would know? He’d lost the tail and was the only living being for ten miles in any direction.
He opened the bag and was impressed with what he saw. He got back into the car, shut the door and took a minute to play it through.
Of course, it all made sense now.
Behind the scenes 🎥
This short film was written to celebrate the arrival of Superport in the US. Rather than just create Another Car Promo, we decided to do something that gave a bit more context, a bit more character. Drawing on influences from films like Vanishing Point, Drive and Casino
Las Vegas was chosen as a location for both creative and practical reasons. It has a mid-century vibe, arguably the heyday for the city. It exudes excitement, mystery, lore. It’s in the middle of a desert, so finding quiet and interesting scenes to shoot at was a given.
Our Hero will be a familiar face to regular viewers, Tee has been our Hero since the launch of Super 3 in 2022 and has featured in many films and photos since. Tee is also a sculptor.
Fun facts:
The police car is a genuine 1966 Dodge Coronet Pasedena pursuit car.
The police officer is a retired police lieutentant.
The book he’s reading is The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
The number plate on the car is the plate on the Dodge Challenger from the movie Vanishing Point, 1971.
Nelson was a gold mining town, 40 mins from Las Vegas. It was originally called Eldorado. The town was mostly washed into Lake Mohave in flash floods in 1974.
He’s eating an apple because he likes apples.
Nobody saw a rattlesnake, but we did hear one.
Flash floods the day before the first shoot day almost cut-off the town of Nelson.
We still don’t know what’s in the bag.
