Michael Madsen has been around, hasn’t he? His acting career has spanned over 150 films, numerous TV shows and video games. The man loves his job. Fresh off of his performance with frequent-collaborator Quentin Tarantino in The Hateful Eight, Madsen’s traded in his cowboy outfit for the casino as Ray Easler in Josh Evans’ Death In The Desert. Based upon the crime novel of the same name by Cathy Scott about Las Vegas casino heir Ted Binion’s murder investigation, you’d think that there would be some exciting happenings involving double-crosses, jilted lovers and drugs. Well, things do happen, but it’s not as exciting as you’d expect.

Ray Easler (Michael Madsen) is a wealthy Las Vegas casino owner who falls for a stripper named Kim Davis (Shayla Beesley). Showering her with gifts and attention, she eventually moves in with Ray. Things are going great, until Ray’s drug dependency and insecurities about his fortune start to create a rift. Things get more complicated when Ray hires Matt Duvall (John Palladino) to be his right-hand man, and makes plans to bury $20 million worth of silver in the Nevada desert for safe keeping. The more time Matt spends around Ray and Kim, the more Kim and Matt grow closer together.

Given Madsen’s repertoire and experience (not to mention that he also exec-produced this film), it’s no wonder that he’s the standout. Much of Death In The Desert has Madsen doing narration of Easler’s thoughts, which helps to flesh out the character and backstory. It also helps that Madsen’s gravelly voice and look are suited for this type of weary, lost soul of a character. Easler is a slimy creature of a man who does some pretty contemptible things (loving Kim, but treating her as his property, for example), but Madsen’s performance draws you in and has you fascinated as the character self-destructs.

Evans doesn’t just rely on Madsen to carry the film, however. The cinematography by Helle Jensen is quite good, capturing a side of Las Vegas that isn’t dominated by gambling. A good portion of the film is shot in a low light, which is countered by the bright lights of Vegas or the deep blues of the clubs, creating some interesting shots.

Sadly, there’s not much more to the film than this. Aside from Easler, none of the other characters are nearly as interesting or likeable. Part of this is due to the performances. Beesley feels flat and uninteresting, which is compounded by the fact that she shares the bulk of the screentime with Madsen. It’s certainly hard to like her character when there’s little emotion to it, and the only feeling you get is that she’s only with Easler because of his money. Palladino is just there, and again, his character doesn’t have enough to it to justify your interest in Matt’s relationship with Kim. The less said about Paz de la Huerta in her role as Margo, the better. I still have no idea what her character was supposed to be.

Also, despite the potential of telling more than just a morality tale with the subject matter, Death In The Desert is content to just have us watch Madsen and Beesley much of the time. There’s very little attention given to the possibility of someone wanting Easler dead other than a drive-by shooting, and the same goes for the Matt/Kim affair and the burying of the silver subplot. Heck, Easler seemingly dismisses the affair subplot by admitting that before hiring Matt, he’s confident Matt will make a play for Kim. So if our protagonist doesn’t care, why should we?

Ultimately, once you get past Madsen’s performance and Jensen’s work, there’s really not much more to Death In The Desert. There’s so much wasted potential on the screen (and I’m not just talking about Paz de la Huerta, either). The film could have taken cues from Scarface and other cautionary tales about characters whose lives of excess and self-destruction ended in their demise, or had even gone the murder mystery route. Instead, it just ends up being so uninspired and bland. If you’re a fan of seeing Madsen chew the scenery in his familiar role, then this will click with you more than most. Even then, you probably won’t have as much fun as you’d expect.