Warrior. Mana. Honour. Rubbish. A less-than-subtle attempt to make murder and mayhem appear justifiable by cloaking it in tribal Honor and duty. In fact its rubbish, full of ignorant and brutal violence, and macho-male BS....not to mention a whole lot of clunky writing, poor plot, poor character development and utterly banal story line. It unfortunately perpetuates the myth of indigenous peoples being uncivilized heathen (which couldn't be farther from the truth) and does no service to the Maori peoples. If your thing is Bruce Lee movies set in the wilderness, with the main protagonists clothed only in feathers and ferns this movie may be for you.

Due to my current time restraints I'm going to skip the usual intellectually enthusiastic movie exaltation and just cut right to some idiotically strait-forward praise.This movie was quite an amazing surprise. I didn't expect it to be so good, to the point where I haven't seen an action movie like it in at least a year. And when I use the word "good," it's to symbolize an all-encompassing quality. The depths of the human spirit were represented in the film, clearly and intensely, not considering it's depletion of maybe romance and humor, at it's worst. I found the drama unmatched, and the action and cinematography are extremely inventive. Not to mention: it's the only good Mauri period piece I've ever seen, so I think I might've been waiting a long time for something like this.A true work of art.

Please note Mild Plot Spoilers* Set in pre colonial times we are taken back to a time when Maoris ruled New Zealand. Two tribes have had an ancient rivalry that has been put to rest but a young war chief – Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka) wants to gain glory in battle by reigniting the enmity. He attacks the other village and the Chief's son is one of the few survivors. This is Hongi (James Rolleston) and he goes after them – hell bent on revenge.Only they decide to travel through the 'Dead Lands' where it is known that a warrior spirit lurks and will kill and eat any who trespass – but they decide to tempt the spirits anyhow.Now what follows is a pretty full on action packed ride, with a lot of martial arts fighting and blood splatter carryings on. The landscape is show cased here too in some beautifully realised shots and the music is all done very well – with a mix of genres to reflect the on screen action. There are a couple of plot holes or stretches of the imagination, but they are minor and will only detract from your enjoyment if you let them. The acting is all pretty solid, but Lawrence Makoare as the 'Warrior' carries the role excellently with vim, pathos, cynicism and pure stage presence.This is also filmed entirely in Maori with sub titles and was sponsored by the New Zealand Film Board and runs to around 100 minutes. If you like an action film with good old fashioned warriors but some modern fighting thrown in then I can seriously recommend this one.

"Stars, hide your fires" exhorts Macbeth "let not light see my black and deep desires." Similarly, a vicious and powerful band of thugs destroys a village, murders its people, and counts on escaping notice and justice for their actions. These formidable Maori warriors from long ago slip into the forest with confidence that their heinous deeds will go unpunished. They believe deeply that such violence feeds their glory. They did not concern themselves that Hongi, a young warrior from the village they destroyed and burned, slipped away with them. They did not much hesitate to enter the forbidden dead lands where a legendary fighter is rumored to rule and reside. Into this fearsome land of bones they go, pursued by the solitary Hongi and soon a new menace that none of them imagined.