New Zealand filmmaker Lee Tamahori (The Edge) directed this brutal but powerful story drawn from the culture of poverty and alienation enveloping contemporary Maori life. Rena Owen plays the beleaguered mother of two boys--one of whom is already in prison while the other contemplates membership in a gang--and a daughter whose potential is being smothered at home. Temuera Morrison gives an outstanding and sometimes shocking performance as the violent head of the household, more adept at keeping up his social stature within his community of friends than holding down a job. Once Were Warriors pulls no punches, literally and figuratively, but despite the rough going, Tamahori gives us a rare and important insight into a people digging down deep to find their pride. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Netherlands released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), Dutch ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, SYNOPSIS: Two-part drama about a group of British soldiers sent to Bosnia in 1992 on a peacekeeping assignment. 1 of 2: The soldiers feel confident that the experience of war will not touch them; but from the moment they arrive they are immersed in circumstances of extreme emotion. ...Peacekeepers ( Warriors )
The images of Asif Kapadia's first feature film, The Warrior, sear themselves in the mind: the warrior practising with his sword in front of a half-alive tree, or a close-up of a scorpion scuttling across the desert as a camel cart goes by. Restrained beauty pervades the film in the choice of locations, costumes and the framing of each shot, but those unaccustomed to art cinema will feel the absence of story in this visual, mystical odyssey which uses few words, as looks and images carry the film. Irfan Khan brings a quiet, powerful presence of haunting intensity to the role an Indian "samurai", seemingly a homage to Kurosawa. The warrior has an epiphany after a bloodthirsty encounter that leads him to abandon his life in the desert and head for the pure snows of the Himalayas. This film (that repays repeat viewing and introduces major new talent) is likely to become a landmark.On the DVD: The Warrior's picture quality on disc does justice to the film and the extras are rewarding. The young director is sincere and reflective, as shown in his scene-by-scene commentary and on the deleted material, the latter lasting over an hour. The making of documentary is absorbing. --Rachel Dwyer