Dust to Glory

Synopsis: Extreme sports receive another loving treatment from award-winning documentarian Dana Brown, whose previous film STEP INTO LIQUID helped to define a new generation of surf culture. This time he sets his sights on the notorious Tecate Score Baja 1000, the longest and most challenging off-road race in the world. It is also the only race that virtually any vehicle may enter, and the list encompasses motorcycles, trophy trucks, class-one buggies, and even ancient Volkswagon Beetles. The drivers of this diverse group of automobiles share one thing: a taste for the thrill of the race. But they also clearly enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship of the participants. Begun in 1967 by a small band of adventurers, it had grown by 2003 to encompass 1200 participants with 270 vehicles between them, and a rowdy group of over over 200,000 spectators. The atmosphere is both carnivalesque and extremely intense, with the pristine blue Pacific and the desert mountains providing a backdrop for a distilled human drama playing itself out in sun and sand. The race represents something personal and profound to all who take up its challenge, from 16-year-old Andy McMillin to old-timer JN Roberts--who won the very first Baja race 30 years before. Mike "Mouse" McCoy's decision to ride the entire race himself, without relief riders, garners both respect and doubts as to his sanity. The cast of characters is rounded out by Mario Andretti, who cheerfully hosts the festivities. While the athletes' unapologetic pursuit of pleasure and unmitigated sense of fun is the focus of this refreshing film, the superlative photography captures the stunning Mexican landscape against which the race takes place, representing both the danger and the beauty that draws untold numbers of thrill seekers every year.     Source: RottenTomatoes.com