Nice to see a western with Native Americans as the central characters. This is a tragic outlaw romance, in which desert runner Willie Boy goes on the run with his lover in the early 20th century Californian desert, after accidentally shooting his lover’s father. The pair of star-crossed lovebirds are pursued by a hapless posse led by a depressed, alcoholic sheriff. The film’s focus switches between the squabbling of the tough-talking posse and the existential, almost dialogue-free scenes between the two lovers. This is a western that’s more about melancholic atmosphere than action, with beautiful shots of the sparse, unforgiving desert. It also explored the tensions between the races of the American West and shows a rather cynical view of the conventional western manhunt. As a warning for fans of Jason Mamoa, he has a very small part amongst the largely unknown but brilliant cast. This epic is proof that there are still plenty of stories to be told about the West.
"Small-scale, well-acted Western which uses rich, pictorial visual scheme. 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."
Co-written and co-produced by Jason Mamoa it's somewhat dishonest to have him featured so prominently on this film's promotional artwork as he has a minimal cameo and to be honest blink and you'll miss him! That aside this is a western tragedy based on true events and essentially a remake of Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969). It's a mood piece and has a very slow pace that may test some. Set in 1909 and Willie Boy (Martin Sensmeier) is a Californian Indian from a tribe famed for their long distance running abilities who attempts to elope with a girl from his tribe. Her father objects to their relationship and when a fateful incident occurs Willie Boy and the girl (Mainei Kinimaka) go on the run into the desert hunted by a posse. The lawmen are a mix of drunkards, cynical racists and tired veterans who fall out with one another and each has their own agenda of sorts. The film moves towards a confrontational climax that does come but it's very underwhelming. Lily Gladstone has a support role though. I've no doubt this is a passion piece for Mamoa and whilst it's watchable it's arguably disappointing.