I’ve found my next TV show in Apple TV Plus’ and Jason Momoa’s Chief of War. The period action epic that tells the story of the unification of Hawai’i in the late 18th/19th century premiered its first two episodes on Apple TV Plus on Friday, August 1, and I quickly saw what other critics did as they gave the show a 90% “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Co-created, co-written and starring Momoa (who also directed some episodes), the series quickly reminded me of a recent mega-hit TV series, Shogun. Its scale is epic, and the level of detail and authenticity brought to the series is felt in every frame. But what really makes this series work is Momoa’s commitment, most visible on screen.
Momoa has been a fun personality to follow since his breakout role as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, yet even as he’s starred in a number of big movies like Aquaman/Justice League, Fast X, Dune and A Minecraft Movie, his performances outside of Game of Thrones weren’t all that interesting to me (in fairness, I heard good things about See, but missed that in its initial run). But in Chief of War, Momoa grabs the spotlight early in what I think is the perfect role for him and one that had me thinking of a classic Arnold Schwarzenegger role.
In Chief of War, Momoa plays Ka’iana, a war chief for the Kingdom of Maui who is trying to escape his past. In the first two episodes, he is recruited back to fight, but soon learns a terrible truth that forces him and his family to run and escape a grave danger.
Unsurprisingly, Momoa’s Ka’iana is a striking presence physically (and you see that physicality head to toe in the series), equally matched by the intensity the actor gives the character. And while I don’t think anyone would confuse Ka’iana for a great conversationalist, he’s more than just the strong, silent type. He’s smart, with a keen military mind, and yet compassionate, clearly impacted by the past deeds he has done in battle.
It’s a role that is similar in many ways to that of Khal Drogo, but I also see similarities with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Schwarzenegger’s T-800 is described as a cold-blooded killing machine in the original movie, and his physical presence backs that up. But when he returns in the sequel, the T-800 has been reprogrammed to help the good guys. He’s still the intimidating and formidable machine with a primary purpose, but his metal exoskeleton is softened as he protects and learns from the young John Connor (Edward Furlong). Terminator 2: Judgment Day is easily Schwarzenegger’s top performance for me.
Similarly, Momoa’s Ka’iana is a perfectly sculpted weapon of war; we see how much in a few battle scenes early on in the series. However, because we also see him with his family and in interactions with others, even though he never seems to let his guard down, there is a kindness to him that makes us want to root for him. It’s a fascinating duality that Momoa hasn’t had in many of his roles.
The closest was probably Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, but you’d be hard pressed to describe Drogo as having compassion; he only warms to Daenerys (Emilia Clark) when she shows courage to stand up to him. His other most notable roles are more one-dimensional — Aquaman is a surfer bro learning to be a ruler, while his Fast X villain is entertaining but not overly deep.
One other thing that Momoa deserves a lot of credit for is how effective he is in performing while speaking in another language. In Game of Thrones, it was the fictional Dothraki, and in Chief of War, it is native Hawaiian. In each case, it feels like speaking in a non-English language gives Momoa some extra energy and an ability to channel the character’s emotions better. Even if we didn’t have the subtitles, Momoa’s performance as Ka’iana is solid for those of us who don’t speak the language.
Though I’m only a few episodes in, I already think Chief of War’s Ka’iana is one of the best Jason Momoa performances to date. I can’t wait to see the journey of his character and how the rest of the story plays out.
Chief of War premieres new episodes Fridays exclusively on Apple TV Plus (subscription required).
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