Jason Momoa Stars In This Forgotten Streaming Western That Needs A Second Look
Though Jason Momoa has recently been most well known for his portrayal of Aquaman, as well as the delightfully flamboyant sociopath Dante Reyes in the latest Fast and Furious installment, he also took on a smaller, more unassuming role in 2022’s Christian Camargo-directed The Last Manhunt. This American Western drama, which can be streamed on Paramount+, did not fare well on the critical front, but was well-received by audiences at the time of its release.
The storytelling is tense, but still boasts a relatively tight run-time of 103 minutes, which makes The Last Manhunt a perfect summer afternoon movie to fire up, while getting fired up by its intense action sequences.
Having felt the need to retell the true story to the best of his ability, Momoa wanted to highlight not only the “universal story of a relationship gone bad,” but also shed light on the complexity of the portrayal of Native Americans through the use of crooked media tactics that would have been used during this time in our country’s history.
The Last Manhunt places Jason Mamoa in the middle of the Wild West, though he is not the star of the show. The story centers on Martin Sensmeier’s Willie Boy, a Paiute man who finds himself on the run after inadvertently killing his girlfriend Carlota’s (Mainei Kinimaka) elderly father during a confrontation gone wrong.
Carlota’s father, a Chemehuevi shaman and local tribal leader who disapproves of Willie Boy’s intention to marry his daughter, is shot dead during the confrontation, and it doesn’t take long for a bounty to be put out on Willie Boy’s head for committing the crime.
To add insult to injury, Willie Boy, who did not intend to kill Carlota’s father, is subject to fake news stories that are circulating in this Western that’s set in 1909. The narrative surrounding his crimes not only frames him as a murderer, but also as a kidnapper after taking Carlota along with him while running from the law in the Mojave Desert.
The unfortunate result of this kind of news story circulating prompts bounty hunters to seek out Willie Boy, one such bounty hunter being Jason Momoa’s Big Jim.
We’re met with quite a bit of old-school gun play against the backdrop of a menacing, yet breathtaking desert sky in this thriller, and the name of the game is survival for Willie Boy and Carlota.
It’s not just the law that’s looking for Willie Boy, however, as Native American trackers also want to hunt him down for killing their tribal leader. From this point forward, this Jason Momoa-produced film tells us a story that involves one man’s struggles to evade his captors by leaving his long-time home, possibly forever.
We’re met with quite a bit of old-school gun play against the backdrop of a menacing, yet breathtaking desert sky in this thriller, and the name of the game is survival for Willie Boy and Carlota.
The Last Manhunt was inspired by the oral history of the Chemehuevi tribe, and boasts a primarily Native American cast to illustrate this point. You will see Native American cast members like Martin Sensmeier, Mainie Kinimaka, Lily Gladstone, Raoul Trujillo, Brandon Oakes, and Tantoo Cardinal, starring alongside Jason Momoa in this action-packed thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat until the final credits roll.
Out of all Jason Momoa’s movies, The Last Manhunt currently sits among the top-five most well-received films he’s put out to date when you consider the audience score.
In an interview with Deadline, Jason Momoa stated that he was always fascinated by Willie Boy, and the story of the Desert Runner. Having felt the need to retell the true story to the best of his ability, Momoa wanted to highlight not only the “universal story of a relationship gone bad,” but also shed light on the complexity of the portrayal of Native Americans through the use of crooked media tactics that would have been used during this time in our country’s history.
On the critical front, Jason Momoa’s The Last Manhunt only received an 18 percent score. But it’s worth noting that it was well-received by audiences, boasting an 87 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, out of all Jason Momoa’s movies, The Last Manhunt currently sits among the top-five most well-received films he’s put out to date when you consider the audience score. For context, Aquaman only has a 72 percent audience score against a 65 percent critical score.
Though Jason Momoa’s performance was well-executed, he doesn’t see a lot of screen time in The Last Manhunt. One of the more scathing reviews on Rotten Tomatoes refers to the film as “a muddled approach to this epic tale- and Jason Momoa is barely seen in the film.”
Though The Last Manhunt may not be Jason Moma’s finest hour, its cinematography alone has garnered positive reception, and feasting your eyes upon the vast desert landscapes is reason enough to fire up Paramount+ so you can witness the storytelling for yourself.
