Utu

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Jelisije J Aug 3 Based off the New Zealand wars between the colonist and the natives that shows that war is not always black and white and that their are both bad and good guys in the fight for survival in New Zealand. See more Oaklee D @ODie63 Jul 15 New Zealand's equivalent to Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. This NZ western is an unflinching film thats draws you in. For an film made in 1983 it has aged very well and holds up in 2025. Well worth a watch. See more William L 09/06/2021 A Revisionist Western in everything but setting, Utu transposes many of the same conflicts from arid desert to misty moors, technically different parties sharing a similar conflict against colonialism, rapidly changing lifestyles, and disparate identities. The latter in particular is a major sticking point of the film, as Wallace's Te Wheke, initially a soldier in the employ of the British, instigates a bloody guerilla campaign against them in retaliation for an attack on his village; he is not presented as a pure-hearted man bent of virtuous revenge, but instead as a nigh-schizophrenic member of two conflicting backgrounds forced against his will to reconcile them. His behavior is erratic and brutal, and it makes for a much more solid character than a generic revenge-fantasy protagonist. His 'introduction' after his declaration of utu (revenge) is particularly well-composed and shocking, as the audience witnesses a sermon against violence from an English preacher only for Te Wheke to walk in, toss the man a pistol, and proceed to behead him with a hatchet before delivering a speech against the foreign invaders with the priest's head dripping blood on his own pulpit. Anzac Wallace feels particularly strong in the part, a surprise given his lack of prior experience in film. The 'Redux' restoration makes the film look fantastic, with exceptional on-location shooting that makes use of the unique landscape of the country in a way that studio productions with all of their investment in CG still can't emulate properly. There are parts of the film that I'm way less of a fan of, particularly a tortured romantic subplot involving relatively green Lt. Scott (Johnson) and a Maori woman of seemingly shifting motivations, Bristowe's Kura, which seems to pop up sporadically and with little overall significance beyond offering a counter to Te Wheke; Scott is the English-heritage Kiwi who finds himself drifting from loyalty to the Crown by the local lifestyle, but the transition is not nearly as compellingly crafted as that of his counterpart. Still, the film remains surprisingly overlooked outside of New Zealand, and deserving of a wider audience; shame it's not more readily accessible. (3.5/5) See more delysid d 05/17/2020 this movie is really WILD See more 08/09/2019 Sometimes im mad,sometimes im not See more S R @ScottR 02/17/2018 1001 movies to see before you die. This was a tough one to find and it turned up on Toky Video one day and I had to watch before it went away. It was informative to learn about the Maori uprising in New Zealand, but the fabrication of some of the drama was a bit much. Regardless, it still had some good bits. I don't plan on watching it again. See more Read all reviews

Utu

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