Once Were Warriors [Region 2]
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![Once Were Warriors [Region 2]](/pictures/Warriors-q.jpg) |
Features
• PAL
In Theaters : 03 March, 1995 |
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Once Were Warriors [Region 2] description
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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Once Were Warriors [Region 2] Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Very powerful and eerie
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Once Were Warriors is a look inside a Maori family's daily life of fighting, loving, and living. It's a view for outsiders of a proud culture and history, where men were once literally tattood, intimidating warriors capable of warding off even the most difficult adversary.
The father of the family is Jake The Muss (Temuera Morrison), a belligerent, incredibly insecure drunk, who compensates by laying the beat down on anyone in his way. He descends from a long line of slaves, and that chip on his shoulder causes the aggression. It isn't abnormal for him to randomly walk up to a stranger at his local pub and nearly beat him into a coma. Unfortunately for his family, they're often on the undercard for the fight.
Jake's wife, Beth (Rena Owen), is the backbone of the family, the true matriarch through which all struggles are either amplified or lessened. While far from a good mother, especially with one kid in a gang and one on the way to a juvenile home for Maoris, she's at least the one who comforts and shows love, and ultimately cares about her children's well-being.
Her strength, however, leads to confrontations with Jake, who definitely doesn't like to be challenged. And when the couple decides to have regular drinking parties at their house, inviting a large group of friends for loud singing and drunken debauchery, the violence is much more prevalent.
Eventually, the story moves along and the family deals with the struggles of domestic abuse, alcoholism, irresponsibility, detachment, rape, and separation. It's quite a roller coaster ride after a somewhat slow beginning. It's complete madness at times, but overcoming the daily problems eventually leads to triump, and a return to a proud way of life.
The one downside to this movie is the production value. It's clear that the budget wasn't very large, and it's quite good for what was available. The acting is top notch, however, and for the most part, overcomes any production shortcomings. |
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Once Were Warriors [Region 2] dvd movie.