Utu (1983)

Directed by

Geoff Murphy

Genre

drama film

Country

New Zealand

Runtime

1h 58m

Rated

16

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 32 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1870s New Zealand, a Maori warrior seeks revenge against European colonizers after his village is attacked. The film follows his violent quest for justice as he wages war across the North Island.

grittyvisceralbroodingsuspensefulrawepicmorally complexbleak

What happens

Utu is a 1983 New Zealand war film about the New Zealand Wars. Co-written and directed by Geoff Murphy, the films stars Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Tim Eliott, Ilona Rodgers, Wi Kuki Kaa and Merata Mita, and depicts the story of a Māori warrior who sets out on a quest for "utu" (Te Reo Maori: Payment, Revenge). Inspired by the events of Te Kooti's War, the film is set in 1870 in the North Island and has been described as a New Zealand Western. The film, which had one of the largest budgets for a New Zealand film when it was produced, screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, and became the second most successful locally made movie released in New Zealand after being released in theatres. Positive reviews of the film from American critics, include a rave view from Pauline Kael, helped to gain Murphy directing opportunities in Hollywood. In 2013, partially thanks to the longtime existence of an alternative cut of the film aimed at international audiences which Murphy had never been happy with, he completed work on a restored and recut version. Titled Utu Redux, the recut version, premiered at a film festival in Wellington on 26 July 2013. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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