This film from New Zealand is a title that at one time was listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I knew nothing about it whatsoever, but if it was in the book I knew I should watch it, directed by Geoff Murphy (The Quiet Earth, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory). Basically, set in the 1860s, during the New Zealand Wars, in New Zealand's North Island, Te Wheke (Anzac Wallace) is a Maori Captain in the British army. The native Maori people fought the British colonials to keep the land guaranteed to them by treaty. Te Wheke's unit comes across a village that has been slaughtered in a raid. Te Wheke realises it is his own village and the British have betrayed the treaty. The massacre causes him to abandon the army and he seeks utu (revenge). He organises a guerilla force to terrorise the invading British forces. When the unit destroys the home of settler Williamson (Bruno Lawrence) and kills his wife Emily (Ilona Rodgers),Williamson vows to hunt down Te Wheke and have his own revenge. Meanwhile, army scout Wiremu (Wi Kuki Kaa) and recent Boer War veteran Lieutenant Scott (Kelly Johnson) aim to track down Te Wheke themselves. They will do so using guerilla warfare techniques against the will of corrupt Colonel Elliot (Tim Eliott). All these characters warring against each other will only cause devastation. Also starring Tania Bristowe as Kura, Merata Mita as Matu, Faenza Reuben as Hersare, Tom Poata as Puni and Martyn Sanderson as Vicar. I'm not going to pretend it was the easiest story to follow, obviously I understood the vengeance stuff, and characters wanting to kill each other, but the political and military stuff could get confusing at times, at least the scenes of guns blazing and explosions made it exciting at moments, and the imagery is good, all in all it is a reasonable action drama. Worth watching!

This film takes place during the New Zealand Land Wars and does justice to the portrayal of violence and revenge (hence the title). The setting is lively and convincing and the story shows the conflict between all people without oversimplifying.

I didn't always know what was going on in this movie during my first viewing. On the simplest level, it is about a Maori soldier who declares war on white people for their crimes against his culture. He is a wild, unhesitant killer, yet maintains a certain charisma throughout the movie. In one scene, he goes to a church and cuts off the priest's head during the mass, sets it on the pulpit, and gives a speech. Like much of the movie, it shows terrible violence, but has a black humor along with telling a story from New Zealand's history.

The army begins tracking the Maori soldier and they have several battles. We meet numerous characters, sometimes without much introduction. Eventually, the Maoris become outnumbered, and their leader is caught and executed. I think that this movie would be even more enjoyable if I were to read about the history behind it and then watch it again. Some of the stuff that goes by fast or doesn't get explained might be better appreciated that way.