Directed by Lee Tamahori
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.
L'Ame des guerriers, Guerreros de Antaño, Nous Étions guerriers, Die letzte Kriegerin, En gang var vi krigere, Once Were Warriors - Die letzte Kriegerin, Once Were Warriors - Una volta erano guerrieri, L'Âme des guerriers, A Alma dos Guerreiros, Bir Zamanlar Savaşçıydılar, Krigarens själ, Били смо поносни ратници, Guerreros de antaño, 战士奇兵, Egykoron harcosok voltak, Kdysi byli bojovníky, פעם היו לוחמים, Ηταν Κάποτε Πολεμιστές, O Amor e a Fúria, Tylko instynkt, Колись були воїнами, Когда-то были воинами, 전사의 후예, Am fost odată războinici, Kerran sotureita, 戰士奇兵
PortugalM/16 Fantasporto - Porto International Film Festival 
Czechia15+ 
Italy 
New Zealand 
Germany16 
AustraliaMA 15+ 
Netherlands16 
France16 
USAR PortugalM/16 
Hungary16 Netherlands16 Australia Czechia France Germany Hungary Italy Netherlands New Zealand Portugal USA 
In my opinion a must see for anyone interested in not just Polynesian culture, but the effect poverty and colonialism has on these communities. An absolutely brutal lesson in abuse and love.
The scenes no matter how awful to watch, are beautifully crafted and lovingly made. They are all well shot, and the acting, especially from the two central characters played by Temuera Morrison and Owen, are jaw dropping.
The music is beautiful and the many scenes of a group gathered around singing together kind of perfectly reminds me of Polynesian cultures. And thats what makes everything so shocking. The portrayal of these cultures are so beautifully done that when characters aren't also beautiful and kind it is so much more shocking and intense.
One of the finest films ever made on New Zealand soil.
It sheds light on domestic violence and volatile family dynamics in a way that most films would rather shy away from, which is one of the things that makes it both a difficult and unforgettable watch.
It deserves more love and attention because as far as these sorts of uncompromising family dramas go, it's one of the best.
when he calls himself Jake the Muss but he's actually Jake the Mess
Some of the most devastating performance work you'll ever see.
Once Were Warriors is a film which really presses down on you and crushes the soul. It is an unpleasant film, though not without purpose. The film highlights dangerous, toxic lifestyles and the darkest consequences of that. The film is most obviously about domestic violence and alcoholism, depicted in a brutal way that cinema generally refuses to grapple with. These broken homes which people experience do not have Hollywood glamour.
Once Were Warriors centres on a family led by a patriarch with a predilection for violence. The central destructive relationship leaves the children raised in a house of anger and fear, placing them in an unhealthy situation. They yearn from independence, realising their mother is stuck with an abuser. This…
When I was a kid, pubs were our social media. Small but populated societies were formed and in each one of them there was a Jake “the Muss”. We knew that there was something wrong with him, but you know how it is like…maybe you grew up with him and he used to side with you when things went bad. Often any Jake “the Muss” had a preset path in his DNA (or he was cursed by the gods if you believe in fate and tragedy): small troubles with the law, frequent fits of anger, sometimes violent actions, dissociation. Habitually, next to him there was a very lively girl with a loud laughter who believed that Jake was neither a…
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Movies based on real events ranked
Coming of age films ranked
I only heard about this film in passing then this week I saw a TikTok about this being proper bleak and massively realistic to the Māori culture then I heard Jango Fett is in it which made me wanna watch it even more so here we are.
Oh yaaaaah I knew I was gunna love this.
It’s unsettling, it’s bleak, it’s uncomfortable. Its powerful.
It’s fucking class.
By far the greatest NZ film I’ve seen.
I went in to this for Temuera Morrison but stayed for Rena Owen.
What a powerhouse of a performance from her.
What started as a more quiet understated performance gradually got more and more grandiose & powerful as the suffering grew and grew.
She was perfect.
The writing for her was perfect
In fact the writing for near enough this whole thing was perfect.
Bleak. But perfect.
English Version below
Ka Mate
Anführer:
Ring paika! ------ Schlagt die Hände auf die Schenkel!
Uma triaha! ------ Drückt die Brust nach vorne!
Turi whatia! ------ Beugt die Knie!
Hope whai ake! ------ Und die Knie!
Waewae takahia kia kino! ------- Stampft mit den Füßen, so fest ihr könnt!
Anführer:
Ka mate, ka mate ------- Das ist Tod, das ist Tod (oder: Ich werde sterben)
Mannschaft:
Ka ora, ka ora ------- Das ist Leben, das ist Leben (oder: Ich werde leben)
Anführer:
Ka mate, ka mate ------- Das ist Tod, das ist Tod
Mannschaft:
Ka ora, ka ora ------- Das ist Leben, das ist Leben
Alle:
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru ------ Das ist der haarige Mann …
Nāna nei i…
Film #20 of What Should I Watch?
Recommended by Tarryn-tino
If you would have told me prior to watching Once Were Warriors
that the guy who directed XXX: State of the Union and Die Another Day made a powerfully gripping drama starring the guy who played Jango Fett, I would have had you committed to a mental institution.
The Hekes are a Maori family of seven that lives in squalid conditions in Auckland's suburbs. When father Jesse loses his job and starts spending most of his time at the local pub drinking with his friends, things turn dramatic for the Heke household.
Grim and grimy, uncompromisingly violent and emotionally devastating, "Once Were Warriors" is a tough watch in search of brave moviegoers. A parable for the once fearsome Maori people who were subjugated by conformity in a way that the white conquerors would have never dreamed of. Observing everyday life unfold in the Heke home is like watching a car wreck in slow motion: it's horrific but you just can't take your eyes away. All the characters, from…
"You think your fist is your weapon? When I have taught you, your mind will be."
Lee Tamahori is a bewildering director. He's made a Bond film (Die Another Day), a Nicolas Cage sci-fi actioner (Next), and an underrated crime drama concerning the son of Saddam Hussein (The Devil's Double). All interesting efforts for better or worse, yet none have been genuinely brilliant.
However, he also made Once Were Warriors: a near-masterpiece about Māori culture and the horrors of domestic violence, anchored by two excellent central turns from Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison, which hits you with all the ferocity of a barstool to the face. The results don't exactly make for easy viewing, but I still found this utterly gripping. Compulsory New Zealand cinema.
One time when I was three I pushed Temuera Morrison's daughter over on a trampoline and she cried and my dad had to apologise to him.
