Watch: Superb ‘Hammer Down’ Western-Trucker Action Short Film

“You don’t even know what’s inside there, do you?!” Hammer Down is an excellent action-heavy 13-min short film made by Simon Hatt and it’s now online. Inspired by his own upbringing with his truck driver father, Simon made an adventure film about a daughter and her truck driving father. Hammer Down tells the “story of a young girl (Abigail Dylan Harrison) traveling with her truck-driving father (This is Us star Chris Sullivan, who yes, was Taserface in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) while he smuggles a mysterious cargo. This trucker western is The Professional by way of Indiana Jones, with maybe shades of Spielberg’s Duel – which is a weird mix for sure,” explains SlashFilm. Hatt first started out working as an assistant in Hollywood, then worked his way up to become James Gunn’s right-hand man, taking on a producer role on his last three films. He made this short in his time off during the Christmas break from The Suicide Squad last year, and he edited it on the weekends during the summer. It kicks ass – and I didn’t want it to be over.

Thanks to SlashFilm for the tip on this one. Short description from Vimeo: “A young girl travels across state lines, smuggling a mysterious cargo with her stoic, truck-driving father.” Hammer Down is both written and directed by filmmaker Simon Hatt – you can find him on Vimeo or follow him on Twitter @Simonlikes. After working for James Gunn, he moved up into a producing gig and is now making the leap into directing. The short is produced by Megan Fleming and Simon Hatt, co-produced by Rachel Gilkison. Featuring cinematography by Michael Dallatorre, and music by Taylor Goldsmith. Simon explains his inspiration: “As a kid I spent a good chunk of time in my dads truck, driving up and down England. I also watched Indiana Jones an unhealthy amount. Action/adventure was really in my bones. And on these road trips – any chance I got I would break away and explore a dingy warehouse or a rusted truck.. I guess I imagined myself to be my Dad’s sidekick.” For more info on the short, visit SlashFilm. For more shorts, click here. Your thoughts?