"Once Were Warriors" tells of one woman's struggle to free herself and her family from the fist of abuse, the grip of oppression, and the slow assassination of self esteem at the hands of an alcoholic husband. This film's story of a Maori (indigenous New Zealanders) underclass family shows the male turning to violence and self destruction to vent frustration with his plight while the female draws strength from her cultural heritage in an attempt to save her children and restore their dignity. Gripping, intense, and powerful, "Once Were Warriors" is a critically acclaimed must see for anyone into serious human drama. (A)

For a movie watched in Year Twelve English, Once Were Warriors, directed by Lee Tamahori, was surprisingly moving. With a top notch cast including Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis, the acting is fantastic and goes hand in hand with the tightly scripted pace, which led to an thought-provoking one hundred and two minutes of film.

Once Were Warriors tells a story familiar to many New Zealand families. Set in 1994, against the backdrop of Otara, Auckland, it tells the story of Beth and Jake Heke. Jake is an all round under achiever with a nasty temper and a fondness of beer. He likes to be the king of his state-house castle and his local pub, The Royal. Beth is the strong willed runaway who married Jake against her tribe's wishes. She loves Jake enough to forget the price he is having on her family - Nig, Boogie, Grace, Polly and Huata. Nig is the oldest boy, and hates his father for abusing Beth; his hate leads him to join the TOA gang. Boogie is also getting into trouble and Grace has turned to writing as an escape from her lout of a father. This story forces Beth to confront her husband's violence, and decide which is more important; his "needs" or her family.

The performances in this movie were superb. Temuera Morrison is excellent as Jake Heke. He is convincing as both the "lovable chap", when he and Beth sing 'The Nature of Love', and a frightening monster, when he beats Beth. In the final scene, he is incredible! Despite his violent words (he uses one expletive 17 times in less than 30 seconds), Morrison manages to display a kind of brokenness, that made me feel pity for him despite his previous actions, which most viewers would agree were appalling. Rena Owens was also extraordinary as the vibrant and resilient Beth Heke. She is totally believable. She is Beth. Her acting is incredibly varied. Owens shows Beth's vulnerability. After Jake's beating, she is weak and injured which is a total contrast to the last scene where she is strong even the face of Jake's fury, coming back with "Our people once were warriors. But unlike you, Jake, they were people with mana, pride; people with spirit. If my spirit can survive living with you for eighteen years, then I can survive anything". The performances of Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell (Grace), Shannon Williams (Toot) and Sonny Arahanga (Nig) were also exceptionally moving. Basically, there were very few performances in this movie unworthy of a standing ovation.

Another really positive aspect of Once Were Warriors was the setting. Tamahori's aim was to produce a tough, gritty, urban-based drama, which showed the destructiveness of urban life-style. You don't get much more urban in New Zealand than Otara. The film has amazing contrasts in it with setting. As a New Zealand movie, you expect beautiful mountains, hills, lakes, the clean and the green, and the beautiful first shot sets the scene for such things. When you see it's just a billboard and that the closest the Hekes have to that ideal is the dead-looking tree in their backyard, it reinforces that idea of the country as a nurturing place. Even the lighting and colors of the places help with this. Otara is dark, shabby, and gray. There's no color in their home or in their lives. The Marae, set in the country, by a beautiful lake, is bathed in golden light, symbolic of the joy and color within them at this time.

There was a lot of good stuff about this movie but it also had its down points. There was a lot of violence which is important to the story, but was a little too graphic and hard to watch for some of the people in my class. It also tends to present the view that all Maori people are constantly drunk and swearing; that none have jobs or cars; and that all they do is drink, have parties and beat and rape people. The only ones that don't live on Maraes. This movie deals with the huge international issue of domestic violence, and although the Heke family is Maori, these are issues which affect all races and societies. It also shows the power and beauty of the Maori culture, and makes you understand that Jake is not the ideal role- model for any society.

This movie IS good, but don't be under the impression it's a "feel good" favorite that you'd like to gather your family around for a light evening of entertainment. This movie is basically a tell-all on domestic violence. It shows violence as the ugly thing it is. Once Were Warriors is not for fun, this is a drama that really makes you think, discuss, confront and actually do something about problems in your society. It is a worthwhile watch, if you can approach the film with an open mind.

Never, ever have I seen anyone in such a constant and consistent rage as Jake Heke (Temuera Morrison) in this movie. The violence he dishes out is perhaps even more intimately visceral than that of Ed Norton's character, Derek Vinyard, in "American History X". At one point in the story, his daughter Grace (Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell) states - "People show their true feelings when they're drunk". If so, Jake's true feelings were not only inspired by his dependence on alcohol, but fueled by it to an astonishing degree. And like all true bullies and cowards, he blames his wife Beth (Rena Owen) for his daily outbursts. That she was a battered wife doesn't even come close to describing her condition as Jake's regular punching bag. Any one of Jake's fearsomely delivered fists would have been enough to end her life and early on, that's where I thought the story might be headed.

This is a film that will leave you drained with all of it's violence, and yet it never seems over the top or forced, but the reaction of a man out of control of his own life and that of his family. The scene in which Grace is violated by her own uncle compels the viewer to try and figure out how and when it will become more generally known, and it's with a certain sense of satisfaction that for once, Jake's fearsome energy is directed at one of his own mates. Which is not to say that it leaves the viewer satisfied that Jake may have finally seen the light. As Beth leaves for her former family's safe haven, any sense of remorse or guilt on Jake's part is undeniably lacking. As a person, he will never be fulfilled.

This will probably not be an easy watch for a lot of folks. There are more than a handful of cringe worthy scenes, usually with Beth on the receiving end. It is with the utmost relief that the film comes to a close with Beth's commitment to leave Jake forever, her remaining children more supportive than they've ever been. "We're going home" never sounded better than at the close of this tragic story.