StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

jfgibson73 I didn't always know what was going on in this movie during my first viewing. On the simplest level, it is about a Maori soldier who declares war on white people for their crimes against his culture. He is a wild, unhesitant killer, yet maintains a certain charisma throughout the movie. In one scene, he goes to a church and cuts off the priest's head during the mass, sets it on the pulpit, and gives a speech. Like much of the movie, it shows terrible violence, but has a black humor along with telling a story from New Zealand's history.The army begins tracking the Maori soldier and they have several battles. We meet numerous characters, sometimes without much introduction. Eventually, the Maoris become outnumbered, and their leader is caught and executed. I think that this movie would be even more enjoyable if I were to read about the history behind it and then watch it again. Some of the stuff that goes by fast or doesn't get explained might be better appreciated that way.

guypakeman Utu is set during the Maori Wars of the 1850s and is the first contemporary film about this period in New Zealand history, although it definitely shows the influence of Rudall Hayward's earlier epics. It set out on the difficult task of keeping historical accuracy whilst incorporating modern day sensibilities. Murphy's basic message, that by working together the Maori and Pakeha will succeed in forming a better New Zealand, has obvious inferences to the modern day racial tension; the film being released around the time of the controversial Springbok tour of 1981, which had led to widespread violence. This message, however, is by no means clear cut, and throughout the film we are shown the situation from many differing perspectives, 'the film's shifts in sympathy, and refusal to identify with one group, could be seen as honestly reflecting the national uncertainty. ' There are definitely many points of view and racial origins to be taken into account, and the main characters come to symbolise either their race, or a particular group, both in the historical context, and the modern equivalent. So by examining these characters more closely it is possible to understand the different ideas that Utu evokes. The two most extreme characters on either side are Elliott, the British officer, and Te Wheke, who becomes the leader of the Maori fighting against the British led troops. There were many Maori groups who were heavily involved in the production of Utu , lending credibility to the Maori characters. Initially our sympathies lie with Te Wheke, when he discovers a village of his tribe has been killed, and the powerful scene where he compares the colour of his hand first to that of a dead Maori, and then to the hand of the white soldier he has been alongside. It is at this point where his transformation begins, and is followed by the tattoo scene, again it is very powerful, and along with his army's dress, strongly echoes the style of the Maori gangs of the 1980s. However Te Wheke does not keep the audience's sympathies for long as he becomes ultra violent, even ordering the deaths of some of his own followers, and by the time of his trial many characters are seeking 'utu' against him. Te Wheke is however not made to be a representative of the Maori; he is 'largely disowned by the race that produced him .' So, if Te Wheke is to blame on one side, it is clearly Elliott who shoulders the responsibility on the other. His extreme racism is reinforced throughout the film, from his condescending treatment of the Maori fighting on his side, to the continual, and it is assumed deliberate, mispronunciation of Te Wheke's name. Scott, on the other hand, the other main white character, himself a colonial, is, along with Wiremu, portrayed as an ideal New Zealander. Reid however takes a more cynical view of this, 'as Utu tells it, the increasingly easy-going Kiwi joker Scott, with his love for Kura, is free of any racist taint; while the pommie officer is a racist bastard. Which is very flattering for any Kiwi jokers watching the film. ' Whether this view of the British as opposed to the colonials is entirely accurate is questionable and the apparent desire not to attach anything negative to white New Zealanders isn't really in keeping with what might be expected, but is probably what the audience at home would have wanted. Wiremu is the character that is portrayed as the 'good' Maori, in stark contrast to his brother Te Wheke. If the main thrust of Utu is indeed to 'explore the subversive idea that Maori and Pakeha have more in common with one another than with the British ' then the character of Wiremu is a vital one. It is he who kills both Elliott and Te Wheke, the two most extreme characters, and he is well educated and willing to work alongside the British, seemingly for the good of the country as a whole. Disappointingly, we do not get much of an insight into his personality, and although his actions are memorable, such a complex character becomes, 'the most maddeningly under-developed character in the film. ' Utu was the first major New Zealand film of the 80s to tackle the issue of race, and whilst its setting is an historical one, its release came at a very difficult time for race relations in New Zealand. It has been criticised for being over complicated and not identifying more strongly with one point of view. Despite these negative comments, Utu is still very important in terms of how race is portrayed in New Zealand films, and, back in 1982, really brought the Maori into the consciences of movie-goers and filmmakers alike.

Brandt Sponseller While it is slightly confusing on a first viewing for someone with scant background knowledge about the setting, Utu is still a largely entertaining, interesting and well made film with an odd tonal combination of a western, a war film, a Charles Bronsonish revenge flick and touches of macabre comedy.Utu is inspired by true events in New Zealand circa 1870. We focus on a military-oriented motley crew of English, Caucasian New Zealanders, or Pakeha, and natives of Polynesian descent, or Maori. The general atmosphere in the film is similar to the pioneer atmosphere of some U.S.-oriented westerns set in the late 19th Century. The plot is catalyzed by fighting among the English, Pakeha and Maori with difficult-to-discern lines of division. To an extent, it seems that these oppositional groupings must have been somewhat chaotic in reality, and especially Maori are shown flitting from side to side.The important points for the film, though, are that we're shown the massacre of a Maori village by Caucasians in the beginning, and we're shown the Maori Te Wheke (Anzac Wallace) happening upon the aftermath of the massacre, whereupon he swears revenge, or "utu", on the white men for their misdeeds. His chief opponent is Lieutenant Scott (Kelly Johnson) a very young Pakeha (who looks a lot like a young Jay Mohr) with a very multicultural band of military men under his command. A homesteader named Williamson (Bruno Lawrence) also becomes unwillingly involved, and Scott is under the command of a relatively staunch Colonel Elliot (Tim Elliott). On the "forest" level, the film is a relatively simple coming together of these characters as Te Wheke seeks his revenge.In terms of action and the film's western modes, Utu is very satisfying. The attack scenes are thrilling, visceral and even occasionally gory. The western scenes are often accompanied by beautiful cinematography, sometimes with wide landscape shots showing the varied and gorgeous natural features of New Zealand. For voracious viewers of American films, the western material periodically feels more like a low-key Civil War movie. Writer/director Geoff Murphy meshes all of these styles together well.The film's politics and ethics are kept complexly gray. Maybe a bit too gray, considering how difficult it can be to keep all of the characters and their sides straight, but on the other hand, Murphy is probably shooting for historical accuracy in the complexity, so it's at least understandable on that end.Wallace makes a great anti-hero. At first, when he happens upon the aftermath of the Maori village massacre, we deeply sympathize with him, but shortly after this scene, he's hacking and shooting up everyone more like a serial killer, or a Maori Charles Manson. Still, sympathy with the character doesn't completely disappear, and it may be helped if one is familiar with New Zealand history--I would suspect that in general, the Maori received treatment from Caucasians something like American Indians did. The scene with Te Wheke undergoing a ritual scarification/tattooing is one of the best symbolic "obedient do-gooder to avenging hurricane" transformations I've seen, even though it is fairly understated. Wallace's role as a rip roarin' antihero is even more interesting in light of his offscreen history. Born Norman Pene Rewiri, he committed armed robbery as a youth, was sent to prison for a number of years, changed his name to Wallace, and became a union organizer. Utu was his first film.Murphy also peppers Utu with a very interesting romance between Lt. Scott and a Maori woman, Kura (Tania Bristowe), who weaves her loyalties in and out of Te Wheke's gang. This is one of two tragic romances in the film--the other being between Williamson and his wife, Emily (Ilona Rodgers)--that fuel "big turning points" at other times in the plot in a deepening of the film's theme of karmic retribution, or as an earlier scene notes, "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword". Thematically/subtextually, Murphy passes with flying colors.The performances are good, and Murphy's direction in terms of blocking, tonalities, pacing, editing and so on is great. My score for Utu is really a "high 7". I wish I could have given the film an even higher score, and I can envision myself appreciating it more on subsequent viewings (provided I don't completely forget about all of the factual background material I've looked up since watching it), but my confusion with the plot and characters just wouldn't allow that, no matter how much I enjoyed the film otherwise. I know that some of the problems I had were with dialogue and pronunciations--this is definitely a film that could have benefited from subtitles.But Utu has some great scenes, some excellent extended sequences (including the homesteader sequence and the climax--both were incredibly suspenseful), some memorable characters, and a wicked sense of humor--there were a couple times I almost felt as if the film were turning into a "black comedy". It's worth checking out if you're into world cinema or any of the film's genres, and probably even more imperative to watch if you have an interest in New Zealand history.

Rodney Smith To me, a good movie uses the introduction to snap your tether of disbelief; the middle to entertain you and deliver you to the end; and the end to make it worth the journey.This movie does it better than any other movie that I've ever seen.The story is about revenge ("utu"), how the cycle starts, how it changes, and the price to be paid to end it.The time and the place are not important, though the movie is beautifully shot and historically valid. The action is only a device to tell the story, though it is compelling and riveting. The subject matter is profoundly serious, though there are elements of comedy even during the most serious scenes.Overall, this is one of the best constructed films that I have ever seen. The pacing of the scenes, the respect for the intelligence of the audience, the dark endearing humor, and the impact of the message all make this one of my favorite movies.The director's cut provides additional scenes that explain some of the details that are missing from the original, but these extra scenes foul the sharp pacing that makes the studio cut work so well.