Stometer
Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
Theo Robertson
Keremea a Moari sailor finds himself being falsely accused of murder in New Zealand at the turn of the 20th Century so flees in to the countryside hotly pursued by a posse led by Arjen Van Diemen a veteran of the Boer war Reading the above synopsis the premise is one that's very familiar , almost too familiar . In many ways it resembles that of a revisionary Western in the tradition of CHATO'S LAND where whites pursue the noble savage and as the story unravels white men are portrayed as being less noble and more savage than their prey . Certainly the audience are under no illusion who to root for but unfortunately the film suffers from a seen it all before feel . It's a common feeling on this page that TRACKER is a film that isn't as good as it could have been but it's impossible to do anything radically different with this type of story One aspect that is very noticeable is the landscapes . It was common in 1970s Antipodian cinema to to have sweeping rural locations for settings . Later on Australian cinema seemed to locate to urban locations to tell a story where as New Zealand seemed happy to keep its output in a rural setting . Of course LORD OF THE RINGS needed a landscape of wide open spaces but you can see any director quickly falling in love with the country with its beautiful vistas of coastline , forests , mountains and rivers . Here director Ian Sharp seems hypnotised by the countryside , so much so that the hypnotic beauty of the natural countryside ends up becoming the star of TRACKED and overwhelms the narrative
moonrabbit-264-269054
I am not sure what the complaints are all about. The acting is brilliant, the story line holds together just fine. The scenery is fantastic. It is culturally and historically sensitive.The back and forth in the story between the Tracker and the Maori escapee is reminiscent of another great movie, Hell in the Pacific, which starred Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin. Each of them would get the upper hand from time to time.This movie had me on the edge of my seat and the twist at the end had me gasping. I cannot say enough about this movie. All I can say is watch it!
Tony Heck
"They're gonna hang me for something I didn't do." Arjan (Winstone) is hired to track down and kill Kereama (Morrison) who is accused of murdering a soldier. When Arjan finally finds him Kereama swears he is innocent, when Arjan begins to believe him he is stuck in a bad spot. Kill him or be killed himself. This is a good movie, but very slow moving. The best thing I can say about this is that if you liked "Serephim Falls" you will love this one as well. It centers around the two main characters and what the deal with in one trying to do his job and the other convincing him he is wrong. The acting is very good and the scenery is outstanding. If you are looking for a movie to just put in and watch, this is not it. This is definitely one to pay attention to. Overall, a good movie, but very slow moving and not much action. I guess this is a western, but again it's a western the same way "Serephim Falls" is. Both good, but must be in the mood for them. I give this a B-.Would I watch again? - Probably not.
Dharmendra Singh
Archetypal Londoner, Ray Winstone plays Arjan Van Diemen, a staunchly anti-British character, who fought against the Brits in the Second Boer War. He's come to New Zealand to confront them for scorching his farm and murdering his family. Instead of receiving retribution or an apology, he is invited to track a Maori on the run for the (false) charge of killing a British soldier. The reward is 100 sovereigns alive, 25 dead. The casting director can't have had many names in the hat for the role of Kereama, so Kiwi Temuera Morrison seems stereotypical. But for a man who I still remember for T.V.'s 'Shortland Street', Morrison more than holds his own. Winstone's presence doesn't faze him. The plot ensures he is integral and not just a brown-skinned irrelevance, and he demonstrates an impressive Maori lexicon to prove it. It's not a natural pairing, but they have unmistakable chemistry. Both are educated, worldly and principled. They have a mutual respect. Winstone's rotund frame (he's a Boer, but looks more like a bear) suits his weathered character in a way that it hasn't in his recent tough-guy roles. To track Kereama he has to be agile, self-sufficient and able to summon his skills as a South African bushman. He shows in a gritty, punch-up that he still has the moves. And he pulls off a convincing accent. What stood out for me was New Zealand. Cinema has scarcely photographed a more magnificent land. The mountain ranges, woodlands, lakes and rivers are a pleasure to behold. You can watch 'Tracker' just for the scenery; it really is that attractive. What spoiled it was the constant to-ing and fro-ing. Van Diemen loses Kereama every time he catches him, though their constant reintroductions allow them to size each other up a bit more. Kereama expostulates 'We both hate the British'. 'I don't hate the British', Van Diemen defies, 'I hated my God, for a time'. I didn't understand why Van Diemen accepts the task. Money can't be his motivation because that would undermine his case for what the British did to him. Winstone's passion didn't come through for me, and Morrison's sudden embracing of Maori customs and incantations, including a flaccid enactment of the Haka while on the run seemed forced.There's some fun action, however, set against beautiful, sweeping vistas, but ultimately I wasn't moved enough to believe in the characters or their motivations. www.scottishreview.net
