Mohawk is a 2018 action film about a young Mohawk woman and her two lovers in the War of 1812 who battle a squad of American soldiers hell-bent on revenge.
For me, historical dramas have a curious push-me-pull-me affect, my fascination and dedication to the study of the past leaving me interested in seeing any of it depicted on screen but often frustrated by the rampant inaccuracies. That’s a given though in the medium and as such, one has to sort of shrug and bear it for the sake of entertainment. With that in mind, many films do make it work, mixing a bit of history with old fashioned fun and in that vein, Ted Geoghegan‘s latest falls well within these walls. Mohawk is a low-budget thriller that is plenty rich in gore and violence, set in a time of war, making this a high-energy jolt of deep woods action historians and action fans can both get behind.
In 1814 as Britain and America enter the waning years of a costly war, Mohawks in New York struggle to stay free of a conflict that is pressing into their lands. We meet a pair of young warriors named Oak (Kaniehtiio Horn) and Calvin (Justin Rain) who travel with a British man named Joshua (Eamon Farren), who is physically and emotionally involved with Oak. While the soldiers encroach ever closer, Calvin can take it no more and temporarily splits from the trio, deciding to attack American soldiers, igniting a fury in Hezekiah (Erza Buzzington) who gathers together a crew of especially malicious men to head into the forest and take their revenge, vowing to slay any Mohawk they encounter. Now on the run, Oak, Joshua, and Calvin must fight for survival as violent death hunt them mercilessly.
The film begins with Calvin breathlessly returning from his raid, putting the three in a chase as a growing number of murderous men track them. What his actions have done is put the Mohawks in a new position, for if they are to defend themselves against Hezekiah’s men, they must go to war, putting their powers on the side of the British. While attempts at pacification are sought by some on the American side, Hezekiah is blinded by rage and commits to massacre. Geoghegan, who co-wrote the story with Grady Hendrix, is limited of course by his budget, but not by his ambitions, creating a gritty, fiercely brutal world with deeply authentic characters. It rarely stands still for a second, but immerses us deep in its setting, never once not feeling genuine.
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As chase movies goes, we are bound to the two parties, and while Geoghegan struggles a bit with some of it, trying to give it a larger scale than he can, he keeps us motivated by steering the story into action that feels organic with the characters. Oak, Joshua, and Calvin know these woods and head for familiar but isolated lands where friends await, while Hezekiah and his crew face dangers in an environment they know nothing about, populated with death and brutality around every break in the trees. Geoghegan doesn’t hold back, his punctuation of it all with sudden, jarring violence adding some impressive weight to the experience.
Mohawk is not Hollywood slick and for those who favor high production values and a certain kind of sheen to their action movies, this might be a let down for those not able to embrace the rawness of Geoghegan’s effort. However, it’s recommended nonetheless for its aggressive storytelling and gritty take on a time perhaps most remember from 1992’s Last of the Mohicans. This is Geoghegan’s second full length film and once again reveals he’s a filmmaker with some creativity, willing to take some chances. You should do the same and give this a shot.