A gut-grabber from New Zealand ... that stays with you for days.
Comment
06/18/02
Once Were Warriors (1995)
93
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:30
Fresh:28
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: One woman tries to keep her family together despite her violent, alcoholic husband. Based on the novel by Alan Duff. Made in New Zealand. For Jake and Beth Heke, life in their suburban ghetto... [More]
Starring: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Cliff Curtis
Director: Lee Tamahori
Reviews for Once Were Warriors
As often happens when films are intent on getting a message across, Once Were Warriors can't stop itself from overdoing things.
02/13/01
Top CriticEverything about this powerful, poignant film makes it a must-see experience, if you have the stomach for it.
01/01/00
Heartbreaking, frustrating, an observation of domestic violence and a tribute to the wives who ultimately refuse to remain victims.
01/01/00
It is a painful and very effective tale about the destructive power of abuse, rape, alcoholism, and violence in general that easily transcends its New Zealand origin.
01/01/00
It is an impressive first feature for its director, Lee Tamahori, and a splendid dramatic vehicle for its stars, especially Rena Owen.
01/01/00
Reserve judgment until this raw, uncompromising working-class saga is over, and you might find yourself unforgettably moved -- and grateful for the experience.
01/01/00
Works, to some degree, on three levels: the visceral, the emotional, and the intellectual, and it is the amalgamation of these that makes this a memorable film.
01/01/00
The film's searing performances are matched by the lovely camerawork of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh.
01/01/00
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01/01/00
The actors, many of them of European-Maori descent, are wonderful to look at. They also deliver authoritative yet sympathetic performances that get at the roots, or rootlessness, of their characters.
01/01/00
It is powerful and chilling, and directed by Lee Tamahori with such narrative momentum that we are swept along in the enveloping tragedy of the family's life.
01/01/00
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01/01/00
Yet familiar as the pattern is ... the film holds because of the acting and because it functions as travelogue.
01/01/00
Latest News for Once Were Warriors
February 02, 2006:
Director Lee Tamahori Charged With Solicitation
According to celeb-watching site TMZ.com, New Zealand-born director Lee Tamahori was arrested January 8 in Hollywood for solicitation of an undercover cop; furthermore, the... More...
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