Once Were Warriors

Name: Once Were Warriors
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: March 3, 1995
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Cliff Curtis, George Henare, Joseph Kairau, Julian Arahanga, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell

1995

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Footprint Films | Release Date: March 3, 1995 | TV-MA

Starring: Cliff Curtis, George Henare, Joseph Kairau, Julian Arahanga, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Pete Smith, Rachael Morris Jr., Rena Owen, Taungaroa Emile, Temuera Morrison

Summary: A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Director: Lee Tamahori

Genre(s): Drama, Crime

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 102 min

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Critic Reviews

Marjorie Baumgarten

The film's story is both culturally specific and broadly universal and that duality is a large part of what makes Once Were Warriors work. Read full review

Jami Bernard

Once Were Warriors has more to say than the traditional TV-movie about spousal abuse. But some viewers will have to pay a price: This is a movie that requires strength and fortitude to sit through. Read full review

Roger Ebert

The director's key achievement is creating a convincing sense of daily life in the household and neighborhood. This is not a narrow drama that focuses on a few themes; it paints a whole style of life, the good times with the bad. Read full review

David Stratton

Pic deserves nurturing, because it’s one of the best to emerge from New Zealand in quite a while. Tamahori, working from Riwia Brown’s intelligent script, has done a marvelous job in depicting the day-to-day horror of the Heke family, which is held together only by its women, the sorely tried Beth and her eldest daughter, 16-year-old Grace. Read full review

Michael Wilmington

You may not want to accept what you see here; you may be unable to accept it. But it's doubtful you'll leave this film unmoved. Read full review

Edward Guthmann

A movie that's lean, unsentimental and hard around the edges -- a gut- grabber that stays with you for days afterward. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

There's little new here, but uniformly powerful performances (especially Owen's) give the tale unexpected power and depth, and the exotic details--like the elaborate tribal tattoos worn by Nig's gang, or the Maori chants Boogie learns in reform school--make the Heke family's descent into misery seem fresher than it otherwise might. Read full review

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User Reviews

Maxisgoat1717

Feb 10, 2023

Very heavy and hard to watch movie. However it tells a great and powerful story with some of the best performances in a movie. Honestly surprised it didn’t get an Oscar. However do keep in mind it is not for everyone, as it has very realistic violence and rape.

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