Parents' Guide to The Last Manhunt

Even if its languid, loping storytelling lacks urgency, this small-scale, well-acted Western uses its rich, pictorial visual scheme to update the Willie Boy story in interesting, relevant ways. Jason Momoa spearheaded this project, a true story that was previously filmed as Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here in 1969. Momoa serves as executive producer and co-writer, as well as appearing in a few scenes. He also recruited his co-stars from the Apple TV+ series See, casting Mainei Kinimaka as Carlota and Christian Camargo as the sheriff. Camargo also directs, bringing a strong sense of style to The Last Manhunt. It almost feels like a mini-Terrence Malick effort, shot in a narrow aspect ratio and decorated with striking tracking shots and gorgeous "magic hour" images. (The movie's biggest flaw is easily its all-too-generic title.)

Willie Boy, who is a victim of circumstance and wrongly accused of murder, and Carlota are less fully fleshed out characters than they are symbolic. They seem to mostly serve the purpose of demonstrating the evils of prejudice. The White characters, meanwhile, are fatally flawed, rather than being heroes. Every character is clouded by something here, whether it be regret, grief, revenge, prejudice, or merely a dark twist of fate. The biggest change to the story from previous iterations is the addition of the newspaperman, who knows that fear sells papers and is not only willing but eager to flat-out lie about Willie Boy in his stories. He's an obvious forerunner to today's barrage of angry, politically slanted commentary disguising itself as news, and the movie's use of racism to flip Willie Boy into a creature to be feared and hated hits home. The Last Manhunt leaves off with a striking image, a shocking hypocrisy that's sure to remain seared in your memory.