Once Were Warriors
by Lee Tamahori
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Julian Arahanga, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Rena Owen, Taungaroa Emile, Temuera MorrisonDirector: Lee Tamahori
Brand: NEW Line Home Video
Cinematographer: Stuart Dryburgh
Editor: Michael Horton
Producer: Robin Scholes
Writer: Alan Duff
Writer: Riwia Brown
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Maori (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-09-02
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: N6370
Studio: New Line Home Video
Movie Reviews of Once Were Warriors
Movie Review: Moving and raw, beautiful yet stark. Wonderful film.
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know where to start. This is one of the finest movies I've ever seen, and I've seen countless numbers. Once Were Warriors is, at its most stripped, about a woman named Beth and her struggle to just do what's best for her family. She is of Maori heritage, New Zealand's sort of Native Americans. Culture is a proud and powerful aspect of the movie, as Beth's strengths lie in her devotion to her family and her heritage. But that is little comfort, as her daughter is struggling to accept adulthood, her youngest son is heading towards juvenile detention, and her oldest son is fast on his way to joining a brutal gang. Worst of all, her husband Jake is a heavy drinker.
The film excels at painting everybody in full 3 dimensions as they just do what they can to find their place. The gang is cruel to the oldest son, but at the same time embraces him. The juvenile detention center separates the youngest son from his only home, but instills in him a pride in his ancestry. And Jake himself is a beast, a man built like a tank who will destroy you with anything available should you spill his beer...but somehow he also comes across as loving Beth. Sometimes.
The film follows Beth as she does her best to hold the family together even while the various problems tear them apart. At the center is Jake's drinking and further carelessness of his family's dissipation. While Beth's answer is to nurture and aid her children, Jake insists it's best to drink away the problems and quit being so "soft" on the kids. And we watch, through it all, as the family spirals further apart. Near the end, after seeing both happy and horrible things happen to each of the characters, we are jarred by several traumatic events. Beth and Jake both deal with it uniquely, as she draws once again on the tremendous power of family and human spirit, while Jake shows some emotions we may not expect. The last 15 minutes of the film keep us in suspense as we wonder whether a certain horrible injustice will be confronted, and if so, how.
The last few moments of the movie made me want to jump to my feet and applaud. Though not all agreeable, everyone's actions are understandable. Especially those of Beth and her oldest son, whose interaction with Jake results in my favorite scene in the movie. But don't think you know what's going to happen based on this description, because believe me, you don't. I felt satisfied with the conclusion on all fronts, and thought that each character showed exactly where their strength lies.
Be forewarned that this movie is very heartbreaking. Its overall tone is one of futility, of better lives not received, of wanting the best but never quite getting it. It is very raw and intense in its portrayal of physical and domestic violence, and the easily upset may have a hard time waiting to see if it ends happily enough for their tastes. But no matter what your opinion is, it will definitely be a film that stays with you for a long, long time. My highest recommendation.
SEQUEL NOTE: If you liked this movie, see if you can ever find the rare "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted", a direct follow-up to the events in this film with the same cast. While not as good, it tells a different sort of story from a different kind of perspective and is very much worth watching for a good sense of closure to some of these characters.
Summary of Once Were Warriors
An urban Maori family deals with great difficulties in adjusting to normalcy in urban New Zealand.New Zealand filmmaker Lee Tamahori (The Edge) directed this brutal but powerful story drawn from the culture of poverty and alienation enveloping contemporary Maori life. Rena Owen plays the beleaguered mother of two boys--one of whom is already in prison while the other contemplates membership in a gang--and a daughter whose potential is being smothered at home. Temuera Morrison gives an outstanding and sometimes shocking performance as the violent head of the household, more adept at keeping up his social stature within his community of friends than holding down a job. The film pulls no punches, literally and figuratively, but despite the rough going, Tamahori gives us a rare and important insight into a disenfranchised people digging down deep to find their pride. --Tom Keogh
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