Once Were Warriors

Really, you liked it that much ?

A movie about a bunch of poor morons that have no direction in life and generally don't care about anything. The monologue at the end was laughable and unneeded. "My people once were warriors and you were a slave!" WE WUZ KANGS Yeah, some scenes are powerful but it's so overdone that after 30 minutes, you get it. I didn't need 100 minutes of a) guy getting drunk, b) guy beating the shit out of wife, c) guy yelling "you need to learn your place!" at wife and d) tragedy! over and over and over

Powerful, wrenching story of the vile, brutish drunk Jake Heke whose rage and indifference threaten to destroy his family. There aren't many characters on film as scary as he and probably even fewer actors who could pull it off.

Great film.

What's the big deal about this film? It took about 30 minutes for me to get over the acting, and the story was weak. The heartache this one family went through was tragic, don't get me wrong, but the execution of many scenes throughout weakened this aspect of the film.

Harrowing story of domestic violence and hopelessness. Simply great. The lead actress in particular reminds me of Jeanne Moreau

Well-done, but very hard to watch.

Powerful, insightful

One of the hardest films you'll ever watch. It pulls no punches giving you a real look at a true broken family. However it doesn't overwhelm you with complete negativity allowing the viewer to hope the characters can improve their lives. Incredible acting from the two leads, although a minor few of the supporting cast leave a bit to be desired.

A Movie about real strength...power ist not the defintion of what you can destroy with your fists... in that case you'll see that power comes from the inside and means how long can I endure this physical and even more the emotional suffering! This Movie is no fiction...it's reality...

I like this. The dynamics of a rough-and-tough family are expertly analysed and the gritty and documentary-esque nature of the content is powerful but the horrible acting and a very hit-and-miss script effect it a little bit.

Mean, vicious and ultimately brilliant film.

A mondern Maori story.

A brutal portrayal of racial identity and domestic violence through the eyes of an ancient, different culture than what we're usually used to in the movies. Albeit the performances are really strong, it's not a movie you want to watch again. And don't suggest it to travellers going to New Zealand, as it might ruin their idyllic portrayal of the country.

#90s#, reviews, story

Affectingly melodramatic but ultimately conventional. Directorial debut that attracted undue praise at time of release, paving the way for a very unremarkable career.

An extraordinary and very brutal film depicting very sensitive topics. Very well done and highly recommended.

Miserable piece of cinema but deservedly so - it has a very hopeless tone but never seems to tackle the wider problems which affect our characters. Morrison and Owen hold the film up - their performances are brilliant, and Tamahori's direction is rather pedestrian - this is all about the characters, although sometimes the scope widens a little and the class aspect of the film is really interesting but underdeveloped. The film also drops a lot of plots in the first act which resolve messily.

A very well done movie if you're in the mood to be depressed and cringe a lot. But it's the kind of movie I personally only want to watch once. The warriors aspect is really cool.

Very good.

starts of with a cheesy and somewhat irritating 80s vibe, and ends with a brutal critique of violence against women. performances vary wildly and it's reasonably predictable, but it's also better than expected.

A sad examination of a family living with an abusive alcoholic father and a culture of violence. Drunken parties, fist fights, wife & child abuse undermines & destroys the family. As they endure the appalling conditions the family begins to disintegrate. Some repetitive plot points. Acting performances was mostly good. Fights seemed realistic. The end was predictable, abrupt & a bit clumsy. The theme, drama & stupidity of the characters was sometimes hard to enjoy.

Powerful movie and fantastic performances by the two leads but it has not aged very well.

Pretty nutty flick. Shout out to Smiley from Training Day. FYI: don't let the trailer for this movie throw you off. It's a lot less corny than it makes it out to be.

I was expecting a full-on film, and I certainly got it, but not before the opening moments showing a reasonably tight and happy family together. But then the brutality leaps out in quite a shocking manner, and the tension hovers due to the wife character not being a push-over despite the abuse against her. There's certainly the Maori angle attached to this, but the portrayal of alcoholism and domestic violence in impoverished communities feels rather universal -- fucking whoop-de-doo.

stærk og barsk

This is some kind of genius-level tone balancing. At first I hated how broad and overtly emotional everything was (everybody's singing, I feel uncomfortable!) but once the plot arc starts to shift into tragedy it feels right for everyone to be expressing their sadness and anger the same way they were throughout the film, and I felt, by the third act, totally emotionally immersed and raw and I was crying in pretty much every scene.

Lee Tamahori's feature debut meticulously paints a way of life, depicting people bumping against the limits of poverty and the pre-conceptions of outsiders. Morrison sees only drinking and violence as an answer, and the film follows Owen's gradual realization that she doesn't need to stay in this same trap. There are some weak performances around the periphery of the film, but the leads are strong, especially Morrison who is both charming and terrifying, occasionally at the same time.

Disappointing. Cliche story, terrible acting.

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