Once Were Warriors

"Their People Once Were Warriors. But Once... Was a Long Time Ago"

1994 1h 39m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.9

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 514🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●77Metacritic★7.9IMDB · 39,694

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a violent relationship, it takes a mother’s strength to save herself and her children from the man she loved. Once Were Warriors is a violent love story set against a contemporary urban backdrop.

“Their People Once Were Warriors. But Once... Was a Long Time Ago”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Film Movement PlusSubscription

BFI Player Amazon ChannelSubscription

Film Movement Plus Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Rena Owen
Beth Heke
Temuera Morrison
Jake Heke
Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell
Grace Heke
Julian Arahanga
Nig Heke
Taungaroa Emile
Mark 'Boogie' Heke
Rachael Morris Jr.
Polly Heke
Joseph Kairau
Huata Heke
Cliff Curtis
Bully

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lee Tamahori
Writers: Riwia Brown
Languages: English, Maori
Countries: New Zealand

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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Maori.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lee Tamahori, shot by Stuart Dryburgh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Murray Grindlay. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 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#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lee Tamahori directs. Stuart Dryburgh behind the camera. Murray Grindlay scores. Michael Horton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in New Zealand. Dialogue in English, Maori.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 7.1× over at the box office.
332 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Maori.
5Part of the "Once Were Warriors Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Lee Tamahori, shot by Stuart Dryburgh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Murray Grindlay. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Michael Horton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison and Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Their People Once Were Warriors. But Once... Was a Long Time Ago".
11IMDB entry: tt0110729 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 28 themes, including "individual", "suicide", "rape", "strong woman".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stuart Dryburgh
Original score: Murray Grindlay
Editing: Michael Horton
Makeup / hair: Debra East
Sound: Ray Beentjes
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $950,000
Box office: $6,700,000
Return: 705% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Once Were Warriors (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 77/100
IMDB rating: 7.9/10 · 39,694 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

22 wins & 7 nominations total

Part of

Once Were Warriors Collection

A drama about a Maori family in a city in New Zealand.

Also by

Lee Tamahori

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2023-05-29
★ 10/10
The power and importance of cultural roots. This was the first New Zealand film I saw, at least as far as I remember and am aware of that. It's a violent film, with a raw brutality that shocks us by how authentic it sounds. Domestic violence? Child rape? It's not something you only see in the movies. It's something you see in a newspaper. That's what shocks us the most: knowing it's something real. And I warn you now: there are violent films, but this one is really intense and shocking... a lot. The film takes place in Auckland, in a poor suburb built by the State for people with very low incomes. There lives an overwhelmingly Maori population, apparently on the margins of Anglo-Saxon, white and elegant society. This country ceased to be a colony a long time ago but, as happens in many places in the world, the dominant ethnic group is still that of European descendants and there is a certain dominant racism. In the midst of this, this Maori population seems lost, aimless in the midst of vices and crime. Will that be reality? I don't know, but a quick search of some New Zealand newspapers indicates that the problem is real. Lee Tamahori did a good job of preventing this film from becoming something it shouldn't be, that is, a tearful drama or an anti-racist manifesto that is no longer given the attention it deserves. Instead, the director starts from this base and makes a blunt and sincere affirmation of the importance of searching for cultural roots and the way in which this changes our way of being and our attitude in life. Why does Jake Heke do what he does? Because he cut all ties with his culture and roots after he ran away with his wife in order to get married. In doing so, he took refuge in violence. The children would also suffer from this, and only a reencounter with their roots can give them the guidance in life that they so badly need, and that they instinctively seek. The film has excellent cinematography and visuals. Personally, I don't really like the graphics that were used for the opening and ending credits, I think they are out of character for the movie, but that's just my opinion. Discreet in the effects, soundtrack and sounds, it is a film that seeks to be effective but discreet, in order to give the story and the actors all the space to have our full attention. Even so, the settings are worth seeing, particularly the Heke house and the wrecked car where Toot, a homeless young man, lives. The film has an excellent direction, screenplay and sets, but none of it would work well without competent actors. Rena Owen largely fulfills this requirement with a work worthy of being studied by aspiring actors. The actress is extraordinary, she does such a good job that it's hard to understand why the film wasn't considered, at least, for the Oscar for Best Actress (is it because she didn't have that week in Los Angeles that the Academy demands?) . The work of Temuera Morrison and Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell also deserves a note of praise.

Production companies