Starring
Kaniehtiio Horn, Eamon Farren, Justin Rain, Ezra Buzzington, Noah
Segan, Ian Colletti, Robert Longstreet, Jon Huber, Sheri Foster.
Directed by Ted Geoghegan. (2017/91 min).
One
of the cool things about this position is I'm often given the
opportunity to review films that would have otherwise escaped my
radar. While I had heard of Mohawk, I knew very little about it, thus had no expectations going in.
That
being said, Mohawk is unlike anything I've reviewed lately.
Ultimately, that's a good thing.
In
1812, two Native Americans, Oak and Calvin, and British officer
Joshua Pinsmail are a menage a trois. Joshua is trying to convince
the Mohawk tribe (who've been neutral during the ongoing British-American
conflict) to go on the offensive, joining the fight against colonial
soldiers. After Calvin takes it onto himself to massacre everyone at
a nearby soldier fort, the three end up on-the-run from a renegade
platoon led by sadistic and increasingly unhinged Colonel Holt, who's
hellbent on revenge. Much of the middle act is a bloody game of cat & mouse as the trio try to reach a nearby mission, where
more Mohawks (including Oak's uncle) are hiding out.
 |
| "Tag! You're it!" |
Elaborating
much more would kill some of the surprising plot turns, but it's safe
to say the story doesn't play out like you think it will (also a
good thing). What begins as a tale of survival & revenge evolves
into something bordering on ghostly and surreal, with an
underlying reminder of the terrible treatment of Native Americans at
the hands of colonists. We're given subtle clues that Calvin's
initial attack on the fort - while seemingly unprovoked - wasn't
completely unwarranted. The protagonists are not portrayed as saints,
though, nor are the antagonists depicted as totally hateful (though Holt
comes damn close).
 |
| Extreme house hunting. |
Despite
an obviously limited budget, Mohawk is both creatively
ambitious and visually arresting. It addition to its deceptively
simple story, director Ted Geoghegan (We Are Still Here) makes
the most of his wilderness locations, managing to render them
foreboding even during daylight. Though sort-of promoted as a horror
film - some of it is pretty horrific - the focus is
mostly on action, with a plenty of extremely brutal close-quarters conflict. Only during the logic-bending,
intriguingly-ambiguous final act does the movie incorporate any real
horror elements. The performances are decent, as well. Kaniehtiio
Horn (a native Mohawk herself) stands out as Oak with a physical
performance that's both sympathetic and menacing, while Ezra
Buzzington engages in some enjoyable scenery chewing as her psychotic
pursuer.
Fast-moving
and unflinchingly violent, Mohawk offers a unique and
unconventional vision of the tried & true revenge tale. It's also
the kind of film that has the potential to be somewhat polarizing,
creating interesting love-it-or-loathe-it debates. In the end, that's
always a good thing, too.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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