Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Americana’ Finally Arrives in Cinemas After Two-Year Wait

After sitting on the shelf for two years, Americana finally makes its big-screen debut today, bringing a dust-coated blend of crime, ambition, and betrayal to audiences. Set against the wide-open plains of South Dakota, the film follows two unlikely partners whose dangerous heist sets off a chain reaction of greed and violence.

Sydney Sweeney plays Penny Jo Poplin, a waitress with her sights set on a country music career in Nashville. Her plans skid off course when she falls in with Paul Walter Hauser’s Lefty Ledbetter, a veteran down to his last shot at escape. The prize they’re after is no small trinket, it’s a stolen Lakota ghost shirt, an artifact worth enough to tempt everyone within reach.

The official synopsis describes it as, “A gallery of dynamic characters clash over the possession of a rare Native American artifact in this wildly entertaining modern-day western.” It’s a chase that draws in more than just the central duo. Eric Dane plays a violent enforcer working for Simon Rex’s slippery antiquities dealer, while Zahn McClarnon leads an Indigenous group determined to reclaim what’s theirs. Adding further chaos is Halsey as a fugitive with more than one secret.

Americana is the feature debut of writer-director Tony Tost, who premiered the film earlier this year at SXSW. Originally titled National Anthem, the project boasts a supporting cast including Gavin Maddox Bergman, Derek Hinkey, and Toby Huss. For Sweeney, it also marks a reunion with her Euphoria co-star Dane, while her on-screen pairing with Halsey nods to their long-delayed collaboration on HBO’s still-unreleased The Players Table.

Filming took place on location with the involvement of Native American activist Marcus RedThunder, ensuring cultural accuracy and authenticity in depicting the artifact’s significance. Production was supported by the New Mexico Film Office, with Alex Saks producing alongside BRON Studios, Rhea Films, and Creative Wealth Media.

After two years of waiting, Americana rides into theaters as a slow-burn western with a modern edge — a story about the high price of quick money and the even higher cost of crossing the wrong people. The open road may call to Penny Jo and Lefty, but in this game, freedom comes with a target on your back. You can catch the film in cinemas in the US from today, we believe there to be a limited UK release next week.

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