Jason Momoa wows again in this Canadian thriller. It is rare to see him play roles that lack in thrill, and his character in “Braven” is no ecception. Momoa plays a father who has to protect his family from drug dealers that happened to choose his remote cabin on a mountain to hide their stash.

At the start of the film, you receive no hints about the turn it’s going to take – that is unless you read the plot beforehand. Momoa’s character, Joe Braven, is seemingly just a man taking care of his family in a small, secluded town high up on a mountain. Braven appears to be a normal man with everyday people problems. However, that quickly changes when violence comes knocking at his door. Upon realizing just how much danger these unwanted guests bring, Braven pulls his ruthless killing skills out his back pocket and goes to town.

The fighting starts abruptly and has your heart racing for more than half the movie. Somehow the movie creators were able to draw out a standoff between a local man and a drug cartel for an hour without boring the audience or making it unrealistic. Since the film is rated “R,” you get to see exactly what happens to each person, leaving no doubt in your mind about their death.

While there was definitely a lot of violence and killing, there also wasn’t much gore. You did see blood here and there, but it was for authenticity purposes. Authenticity was something that the film really excelled in. There was never a question of  “Where would you even find that in a cabin?” or “Where did he get skills like that that?” Braven found a way to use items that you would find in a cabin in ways that you would use them to hunt an animal. The standoff quickly became a battle of wits, which is what made it so interesting. You won’t just just see people kill each other, but you will watch a classic game of survival.

Momoa’s character is so authentic that you will not question whether to root for the good guy or the bad guy. The villian, played by Garret Dillahunt, was the only downfall of the film if you are looking for one. He was just so unlikeable and vengeful, which would usually be great for a villain, but here it was just off putting beside a character like Braven. It’s hard to argue for a good villain since that would defeat the purpose but some sort of relatability would have allowed the audience to feel conflicted between the two. Though by the end of the film, nothing in you will care about relatability or why he is so incredibly cruel and angry all of the time. You just hope he gets what’s coming to him.

The movie deserves much more buzz than it received. It’s definitely not a movie for the faint-hearted, but if you give it a chance, you won’t be disappointed. “Braven” is one of those movies that end and have you thinking you could do anything. It’ll call for a very creative game of “what would you do?”