Utu

Rating:
Summary: Simply stunning
Review: I saw this movie when it first came out in the early 1980s, and a recent reviewing confirmed its brilliance. The subject matter is unique, a Maori uprising against Europeans in 19th century New Zealand. But what makes the movie worth watching are the performances. Several of the performers stand out, but especially Bruno Lawrence, who I have long considered one of the great underrated actors of the past twenty years. He has never gotten the kinds of rolls that I believe he deserved, but his work in this film as the settler bent on revenge for the loss of all he loved is stunning, as was his work in the films THE QUIET EARTH and SMASH PALACE. I was baffled when this movie came out that it didn't make a bigger splash than it did, and I have remained amazed that so few people seem to know about it.

Anyone who enjoys any Australian or New Zealand film should definitely seek this move out. Just an outstanding film.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recomended, over-looked, seldom-seen New Zealand film
Review: Ignore Leonard Maltin's review of this film and check it out for yourself! What the British did to the Maoris in New Zealand curiously parallels what happened to the Native Americans in the USA. The story concerns a Maori warrior serving in the British Army who discovers that his family has been wiped out by the same military he is serving in. He tattoos his face and engages in UTU (ritualistic revenge). It is a powerful film, little-known in the USA, but tight, exciting, and and sure to leave you thinking.

Rating:
Summary: As usual, Maltin misses the mark
Review: Leonard Maltin's characterizing this film as "dull" leads me to question whether he's actually seen it. In fact, it's a remarkable piece of work with powerful performances. "Sometimes I'm mad ... sometimes I'm not!"

Rating:
Summary: As usual, Maltin misses the mark
Review: Leonard Maltin's characterizing this film as "dull" leads me to question whether he's actually seen it. In fact, it's a remarkable piece of work with powerful performances. "Sometimes I'm mad ... sometimes I'm not!"

Rating:
Summary: Often overlooked, but never equaled!
Review: Set during the Maori Wars in New Zealand, this movie is a powerful examination of the damage revenge does. Nothing is cut and dried, and it demands a lot from viewers, but in the end it rewards with a new perception about the difference between justice and vengence. See it, if for no other reason than it is one of the most beautifully shot films I've ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: A New Zealand "Last of the Mohicans"
Review: The conflict of the indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zealand are often eclipsed by the conflict of Native Americans against the U.S. government. Utu offers an insightful snapshot into the conflict many of the New Zealand Maori felt against the encrouching culture of the English. The film showed that even those Maori who aided the English struggled inside to keep their cultural identity from being pulled into the undertoe of English colonialism.

The film serves up a good course of action, especially with the double barrelled shotgun scene. I highly recommend this film because it vividly presents the conflict between colonial powers and indigenous peoples. This film is "Last of the Mohicans" in a New Zealand context.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is a beautiful film. It is fiction, but an accurate portrayal of the sort of thing that went on in the 1850's when the Maori tribes were attempting to get their own land back from the British. There is some violence but it is necessary to the story and not excessive. The country is achingly beautiful, the performances are perfect, the music is haunting. Utu is unforgettable.

Rating:
Summary: The Original BAD Gun
Review: This Was The First Movie I Had Ever Seen With
Two Double Barrels Together As One BIG Gun.
The Effects Of First A Single Barrel Then
The Double Barrels And Finally All Four
Nocking Down The Shed Is Still One Of The
Greatest Weapon Scenes Of Its Time.
And Yes I Always Wondered Why Bruno Lawrence
Seemed To Be Ignored???
He Was Awsome In Both UTU And The Quiet Earth.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful though dramatic story.....
Review: Utu. The story of a proud warrior who returns to his tribe, to find them slaughtered by the British. Te Veki then sets out on what people now would call a Jihad. The conclusion left me allmost crying, for the only one who really has the right to execute Te Veki is his brother..... talking 'bout right-by-birth? This movie left me feeling ashamed for being a white man.