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.
Acting
Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen are absolutely volcanic.
Direction
Tamahori's debut announces a major cinematic voice.
Writing
Dialogue cuts like broken glass—poetic and brutal.
Director
Lee Tamahori
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
Pete Smith
Dooley
George Henare
Bennett
Mere Boynton
Mavis
Shannon Williams
Toot
Calvin Tuteao
Taka
Ray Bishop
King Hitter
Ian Mune
Judge
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This became the highest-grossing New Zealand film ever and sparked national conversations about domestic violence and Māori urbanization that politicians couldn't ignore.
Temuera Morrison was so broke he auditioned in borrowed clothes; his performance launched him to international roles including Jango Fett.
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Reactions from the web
This was genuinely the first film I watched that left me emotionally devastated. I would have been 14 or so at the time, and I really just saw films as a sort of escapist entertainment. This film made me realise the power of fiction to truly make you feel something. In a way, seeing it was a rite of passage for me.
@DodderingOldMan 170
One of my favorite movies of all time. I saw it in college and it’s stayed with me all these years.
@SunGod3806 64
Still a powerful film. The beat down Jake throws on the guy in the bar was so brutal... An excellent movie about the socioeconomic struggles of an indigenous people once their land is no longer their own and they have lost touch with their ways. If anyone knows of a film like this about native Americans I would love to know about it. This movie got me on so many levels. But I am also a descendant of Pacific Islanders so Maori hold a special place for me.
@raymonwhite3340 198
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