The Last Manhunt

The Last Manhunt, supposedly based on a true story is an extremely boring movie. The slow pace for sure didn't help making it interesting to watch. Jason Momoa wrote the story. Can someone please tell him to stop writing? Because if that's what he's going to write in the future he'd better stop immediately. He's also supposed to act in this monstrosity but his screen time is about two minutes and his lines could be remembered by a five year old. He's just a poster filler trying to attract people in watching this movie. Another poster name was Zahn McClarnon, an actor that plays in every western where they need an indian, dies after five minutes. He's normally a decent actor but here he's just another bait. The only good thing about this movie is the scenery, you get to see desert images and joshua trees, that's about it. All the rest is garbage. Avoid at all costs.

I loved this movie! It delves more into the native American's backstory and customs than the Robert Redford version did. It is a beautifully shot movie, showing big expansive desert views, with an excellent soundtrack keeping the mood set throughout the movie. To me, the musical accompaniment is as important to this movie as any character. Everyone does an excellent acting job, and it really makes the unfolding story believable the whole way through.

There are some bad reviews that complain about the lack of action, but this being a more faithful telling of a true story, there were no big, high body-count, gun fights to throw in. It's a simple, true story of two lovers on the run, being pursued by a group of different men who are there for different reasons. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The whole treatment of this re-telling of the fact-based Willie Boy story is too minimalist to fully engage the viewer. If I had not had prior knowledge of the story it was trying to tell I'd have given up a short time in (in fact my audience did). The style is impressive with fine visuals and settings, but the screenplay just seems to get lost in itself and leaves the viewer struggling to remain involved.

While the earlier late sixties version (Tell Them Willie Boy is Here) is not that much better it at least does a better job of keeping the story elements on track. Maybe there was not that much of a story here to cover a feature movie - a documentary could have been better.

I can understand some of the other reviews if this is the first time you've heard of Willie Boy. First of all the scenery alone was awesome and genuine. Having lived by Gilman Ranch and hearing of Willie Boy in 1991, reading Mr. Lawton's book, then watching the previous movie, it was so refreshing to see this story told from a native point of view. I appreciated the fact the characters were not based on fiction but on what limited facts have survived, even if that hindered character development. I would trust oral histories passed down through generations before news reporters concocting yet another fairy tale. It's about time!

Original, low-budget Native American true-tale period-drama "The Last Manhunt" features some stunning Christian Camargo direction, yet is hamstrung by Thomas Pa'a Sibbett's sluggish & oft confused screenplay. In 1909 when Chemehuevi tribe teen Martin Sensmeier accidentally shoots dead Zahn McClarnon (disapproving dad of his gf Mainei Kinimaka) he & she hide out in the Joshua Tree desert as a bickering posse of regular & Native American po-po (inc Carmago, Raoul Max Trujillo, Brandon Oakes & Jason Momoa (in minor support)) hunts them. More sedate & less tense than it coulda / shoulda been it is interesting, but it's ultimately also disappointing.