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MOHAWK: A Low Budget But Still Impressive Action Horror

MOHAWK: A Low Budget But Still Impressive Action Horror

MOHAWK: A Low Budget But Still Impressive Action Horror

Low budget indie horrors are a special breed. Sometimes, as in the case of a recent film like Death House, their ambition can outweigh their grasp. But in other instances, they can be quite entertaining despite their clear lack of resources.

Mohawk is somewhere between these two ends. It’s an interesting blend of gritty horror, with a distinctive time period and subject focus, but it also, at times, has trouble hiding its lower budget. Regardless, this is still a must-see for horror and action junkies.

A Time Period Piece

Mohawk takes place during the War of 1812, when the British are in the midst of fighting the Americans, with Native Americans often becoming the brunt of the casualties. The focus is on three individuals: they are Mohawks Indians Oak (Kaniehtiio Horn) and Calvin Two Rivers (Justin Rain), and a British soldier named Joshua Pinsmail (Eamon Farren). Joshua has recently allied with the Mohawks, and the three attack and burn down an American encampment.

In doing so, though, some Americans survive, and a war party is formed to hunt down those responsible, led by the ruthless Hezekiah Holt (Ezra Buzzington). Before long, the two sides are facing off against one another in the surrounding woods, with the Mohawk side often playing very against the odds.

MOHAWK: A Low Budget But Still Impressive Action Horror
source: Dark Sky Films

It may initially take some time to become accustomed to the style of Mohawk. It’s a film that, as mentioned, is clearly made on a low budget, and this does tend to show. For example, the costumes used seem a bit cheaply made, and the cinematography, though often utilizing the best of the natural light provided by the surrounding woods, is also done with clearly low-quality cameras. These two aspects combine to make the film sometimes feel more like people playing dress-up in the woods as opposed to a gripping period piece. What doesn’t help matters is that there are also limited shots of surrounding encampments or of the war itself, which detracts from a sense of place.

Once the story of Mohawk gets going, though, the limited style and scope soon becomes less bothersome and actually works to its advantage in some ways. And much of this is due to the dedication of writer and director Ted GeogheganGeoghegan is self-aware with his filmmaking; in not having the budget for lavish or extravagant production sets, he instead makes the film a series of back-and-forth exchanges between the two sides of the conflict, almost solely set in the woods. Any talk of the surrounding action and the war itself can be inferred from conversations, and, really, this individual story soon becomes tense enough to satisfy.

The film’s set pieces are sure to impress given this lack of resources. Action scenes come swift and often, and their intensity is turned up to an extreme. Geoghegan is, above all, unafraid to show the grittiness of these battles, with characters being taken out in brutal, bloody fashion and often unexpectedly. Yet, the violence is also far from gratuitous or simply for shock value, as there are real emotional stakes in the outcome of each individual loss.

The film’s horror attributes also come during these chase scenes, when the tone switches from gritty action to one more haunting in nature, with an uncertainty as to what exactly is happening. In a balance between both realistic and surreal, Mohawk never shifts too far in one direction, creating a surprisingly nuanced approach.

Character Acting

The principal actors of Mohawk also contribute extensively to the film’s overall effect. The Mohawk characters are all played by Native Americans, including Kaniehtiio Horn, a Native Mohawk who plays the film’s most standout role as the fiercely determined Oak. Eamon Farren, who David Lynch fans will know from Twin Peaks: The Return, believably plays a British soldier who puts his life on the line for the sake of the Mohawks (an alliance that is also genuine to the time period itself).

MOHAWK: A Low Budget But Still Impressive Action Horror
source: Dark Sky Films

Standing out amongst the Americans is the maniacal Ezra Buzzington, who plays the leader of the men that hunt down the Mohawk group. Cruel and heartless, he shows little hesitation in murdering all who face him. It’s easy to believe that Holt is representative of the white people who actually lived during the time, who had little regard for the “savages” that occupied land they felt was rightfully theirs.

Many of his fellow soldiers, including a tracker named Yancy (Noah Segan) and his second-in-command Lachlan Allsopp (wrestler Jon Huber in his film debut), don’t share Holt’s sadistic tendencies, yet they don’t outwardly object either. They are prime examples of the followers who go along with their ruthless leader’s choices, who don’t necessarily participate but their complicity can be just as harmful.

Authenticity

The decision to not only cast Native Americans in the main roles but also to shed light on just how undeniably evil or indifferent people were towards their plight is part of what makes the subject of Mohawk feel so genuine. There isn’t any sugarcoating here, which might disturb some, but sometimes that’s an important quality in order to achieve true empathy for those that are oppressed.

MOHAWK: A Low Budget But Still Impressive Action Horror
source: Dark Sky Films

Remarkably, Mohawk also refrains from a great deal of white-washing. Eamon Farren‘s Joshua doesn’t rise up and become the principal hero as the character might have been in many other instances (looking at you, Wind River), and it is instead Horn‘s Oak who holds those reigns. In a act of true resilience, she enacts righteous retribution in the film’s climactic scene against those who had taken from her.

Conclusion: Mohawk

Geoghegan‘s film, though focused solely on the conflict between a small group of people, also sheds light on a much larger truth. At one point, one of the Americans remarks that “this is Mohawk land. We’re in their house.” This one quote sums up the entire film: much of the War of 1812, and, indeed, America’s early history as a whole, was focused on subjugating and oppressing both black and brown people in the pursuit of absolute power by whites. It’s a horrific reality, but one that must be faced all the same. Disguised simply as a small-scale action horror film, Mohawk becomes a good focal point for something much larger than itself, which enables its flaws to be more readily overlooked.

What did you think of Mohawk? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Mohawk was released in the US on March 2, 2018. For all international release dates, see here.

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