The Dead Lands (2014)

After his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery, the teenage son of a slain Maori chieftain looks to avenge his father's murder and bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones.

Director:

Toa Fraser

Writer:

Glenn Standring

Stars:

James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Rolleston	...	Hongi
Lawrence Makoare	...	The Warrior
Te Kohe Tuhaka	...	Wirepa
Xavier Horan	...	Rangi
Raukura Turei	...	Mehe
George Henare	...	Tane
Rena Owen	...	Grandmother
Pana Hema Taylor	...	Mana
Calvin Tuteao	...	Ka
Jamus Webster	...	Tahi
Bianca Hyslop	...	Pipi
Isabella Rakete	...	Keri
Matariki Whatarau	...	Tama
Wairangi Koopu	...	Raupatu
Jeff Ruha	...	Mere

Storyline

After his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery, Hongi, a Maori chieftain's teenage son, must avenge his father's murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, Hongi's only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious Warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.

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Plot Keywords:

severed head | cannibalism | martial arts | murder | hallucinogenic mushroom | 

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Taglines:

Where the warrior spirit was born

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal bloody violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the actors underwent a six week training boot camp prior to filming to get them into shape.

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Goofs

In reference to the previous statement about an apparent car in the back of shot, the viewer must have been seeing things. What it is is a Kereru (our native wood pigeon) that briefly and with much motion blur flies past the Warrior like a spirit form.

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Quotes

The Warrior: I have a blackness that comes upon me - where even the God of War would not venture!

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Connections

Spin-off The Dead Lands (2020)

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Soundtracks

Waiata Atahu
Written by Te Manahau Morrison
Performed by Raukura Turei

User Reviews

Last of the ...

Sometimes "last of ..." is not that accurate, especially if you have two who can be called that. For different reasons of course. And while the main story is pretty straight forward (and you can see where it's going) there are some gems here and there. The action scenes are pretty well executed. My Maori is not up to the task, but the acting seems more than decent too.

Talking about tasks, the question is is our main hero up to it? Being put in a situation, no one wants to be in, but sometimes you are forced to be in, is more than difficult. On the other hand, you have his mentor, who has some issues of his own. The dynamic works well, though you have to be open minded with what it means to be them or live in that sort of environment - if you can't get down with that, it can be dreadful to watch

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

New Zealand UK

Language:

Maori

Release Date:

30 October 2014 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Savaşçı

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,327, 19 April 2015

Gross USA:

$5,240

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$906,158

Company Credits

Production Co:

Day Tripper Films, General Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1