UTU (1983)

A real masterpiece!
This film on the surface is a tale of an episode in the Maori Wars in New Zealand in the 1870's in which a Maori scout - Te Wheke - turns 'renegade'. Te Wheke embarks upon a vengeance raid after the murder of his family by the colonial troops he has been serving with. The film weaves an intricate web of relationships between complex and intelligently scripted characters that are set within an equally complex society in which two conflicting cultures are alternately accommodating and warring with each other and among themselves. I had to watch this film several times before I really began to appreciate it and understand what it was about....and I'm glad I had the patience. Essentially the film explores the whole concept of vengeance - the meaning of 'utu'. The film depicts how the innocent pay the price for the wrong doings of others, how the wronged become the perpetrators of acts of violence against the innocent and ultimately how the notion of vengeance spires out of control and everyone is sucked into the cycle. The beautiful yet tragically sad ending does not shy away from the awful truth about the only way in which the vengeance cycle can end. A great church scene in the early part of the film, an interesting concept on the use of the bible....and what an outfit. A fantastic film! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"The Spirits of My People Command Me, I Must Kill The White Man For What He Has Done"
Based on a true account of the Maori uprising of 1870, 'Utu' posits the often asked and all important question "Who are the savages amongst us?" In this particular case is it the native Maori of New Zealand who dared defy British occupation and rule, or was it English arrogance and total lack of concern for the native culture that brought about the eventual end of British Colonialism in the area?

Brutal, violent, uncompromising, yet at the same time it contains moments of unexpected humor. Another great film in a long line of movies to come out of Australia and New Zealand. Unforgetable performances by Anzac Wallace as the rebellious Te Wheke and Bruno Lawrence as the white settler obsessed with avenging his wife's death.

Some lessons are never learned. Savages come in all forms, colors and disguises.

A New Zealand "Last of the Mohicans"
The conflicts of the indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zealand are often eclipsed by the conflict of Native Americans against the U.S. government. Utu offers an insightful snapshot into the conflict many of the New Zealand Maori felt against the encrouching culture of the English. The film showed that even those Maori who aided the English struggled inside to keep their cultural identity from being pulled into the undertoe of English colonialism.

The film serves up a good course of action, especially with the double barrelled shotgun scene. I highly recommend this film because it vividly presents the conflict between colonial powers and indigenous peoples. This film is "Last of the Mohicans" in a New Zealand context.