What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?

"Once they were warriors. Men of Honour. Now five years on one man's battle has only just begun."

1999 1h 48m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 65

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Five years have passed and Jake has turned his back on his family. He's still up to his usual tricks in McClutchy's Bar, unaware, as he downs his latest opponent, that his eldest son, Nig, has died in a gang fight. The uncomfortable family reunion at Nig's funeral sparks a confrontation with second son, Sonny, and sets Jake and Sonny on a downward spiral.

“Once they were warriors. Men of Honour. Now five years on one man's battle has only just begun.”

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Cast

Temuera Morrison
Jake Heke
Rena Owen
Beth Heke
Clint Eruera
Sonny Heke
Nancy Brunning
Tania Rogers
Pete Smith
Apeman
Lawrence Makoare
Grunt
Rawiri Paratene
Mulla Rota
Julian Arahanga
Nig Heke

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ian Mune
Writers: Alan Duff
Languages: English
Countries: New Zealand, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: New Zealand, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Once Were Warriors Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ian Mune, shot by Allen Guilford. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Horton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen and Clint Eruera carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Once they were warriors. Men of Honour. Now five years on one man's battle has only just begun.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0197094 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ian Mune directs. Allen Guilford behind the camera. Michael Horton cuts. Produced in New Zealand, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

127 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: New Zealand, United Kingdom.
3Part of the "Once Were Warriors Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Ian Mune, shot by Allen Guilford. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Michael Horton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen and Clint Eruera carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Once they were warriors. Men of Honour. Now five years on one man's battle has only just begun.".
8IMDB entry: tt0197094 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "based on novel or book", "lifestyle", "new zealand", "maori".