THE LAST MANHUNT (2022) Reviews of Jason Momoa Western

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The Last Manhunt is a 2022 American Western film about two young lovers being hunted in the Mohave desert for an accidental killing.

Directed by Christian Camargo (Days and Nights) from a screenplay written by Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, based on a story by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett.

The movie stars Jason Momoa, Lily Gladstone, Martin Sensmeier, Mainei Kinimaka, Zahn McClarnon, Raoul Max Trujillo, Brandon Oakes and Tantoo Cardinal.

Plot synopsis:
In 1909, amidst the dying Old West, Willie Boy (Martin Sensmeier), a long-distance desert runner by Chemehuevi tradition, falls in love with a young native beauty, Carlota (Mainei Kinimaka). However, Carlota’s father, a Chemehuevi shaman and the local tribal leader refuses to let the young couple be together.

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In a fatal confrontation, Carlota’s father is killed due to an accidental gunshot and the young lovers flee to the sun-soaked Mohave desert. The local sheriff leads a mounted posse armed with firepower and two Native American trackers seeking justice for their “murdered” tribal leader. Willie Boy and Carlota evade capture outlasting the men and their horses.

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Unfortunately, fake stories created to sell newspapers add to the mounting pressure to capture Willie Boy. In a desert that purifies all, the search for Willie Boy forces everyone to face their own demons in this tragic tale of love, death, and desert heat…

Reviews:
The Last Manhunt doesn’t build to something exciting (and if you’re looking for Jason Momoa, he’s only regulated to an extended cameo). It’s not interested in presenting western formula, leaving chases and shootouts minimal. Sibbett is more invested in the ways Willie Boy’s tale is polluted by outsiders, as Randolph represents media manipulation, urged to transform the shooter into a public menace, satisfying white readers.” 2.5 out of 5, Blu-ray.com

” …many of the major moments in The Last Manhunt arise from pure coincidence, a shaky plot unfortunately leaves Camargo’s film flimsy in its impact. While the story of Willie Boy is given a modernized cinematic appeal (the story’s last rendition was the 1969 Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here), there simply isn’t enough exciting storytelling to keep The Last Manhunt on its feet long enough to truly affect the viewer.” Film Festival Today

“Writer Thomas Pa’a Sibbett a highly credible alternative to the pseudo-official story of Willie Boy, but Camargo still romanticizes him. It is a well-intentioned revisionist Western, but that desert is just as brutal to viewers as it is for the posse. Not recommended…” J.B. Spins

“Much of this, then, feels as if the filmmakers are simply going through the motions of a familiar, generic story of lawmen and outlaws. While it’s clear that there’s more to the goal and meaning of this story by its finale, The Last Manhunt barely introduces those deeper ideas, let alone explore them in some meaningful way.” 2 out of 4, Mark Reviews Movies

” …at times it feels like it’s crawling at a snail’s pace with moments of silence that contribute nothing of substance. The Last Manhunt, at a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, which feels more like 3 hours, is a sluggishly-paced, anemic and underwhelming Western low on suspense and excitement.” The NYC Movie Review

“All of this could have still made an interesting drama but once again the filmmakers undercut themselves by refusing to focus on any one aspect of the story as a central theme and flits around between them seemingly at random. This leaves the plot threads and the characters undeveloped and uncompelling as they wander around the desert on their way to an ending that’s as underwhelming as everything that came before it.” 2 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony

Release:
In the USA, Saban Films will release The Last Manhunt on Digital and On-Demand on November 18, 2022.

YouTube reviews:

Trailer:

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