Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

Director:

Taika Waititi

Writers:

Taika Waititi (screenplay), Barry Crump (based on the book "Wild Pork and Watercress" written by)

Stars:

Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata

22 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Neill	...	Hec
Julian Dennison	...	Ricky
Rima Te Wiata	...	Bella
Rachel House	...	Paula
Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne	...	Kahu
Oscar Kightley	...	Andy
Stan Walker	...	Ron
Mike Minogue	...	Joe
Cohen Holloway	...	Hugh
Rhys Darby	...	Psycho Sam
Troy Kingi	...	TK
Taika Waititi	...	Minister
Hamish Parkinson	...	Gavin
Stu Giles	...	Sick Man
Lloyd Scott	...	Tourist

Storyline

Bella and Hector, two reclusive country folk, become foster parents to Ricky, a problem child from the city. After some adjustment, things go reasonably well. However, the death of Bella means Hector now has to look after Ricky, and they didn't get along too well. Moreover, her death causes Child Services to decide to send Ricky back to the orphanage. Ricky refuses to go back and runs away, ultimately sparking a national manhunt for him and Hector.

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | foster father foster son relationship | manhunt | new zealand | faked death | 

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Taglines:

Nature just got gangster

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including violent content, and for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 2016 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Lov na divljake

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$78,439, 26 June 2016

Gross USA:

$5,205,468

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,867,989

Company Credits

Production Co:

Piki Films, Defender Films, Curious Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a book called Wild Pork and Watercress, by the author Barry Crump.

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Goofs

When Kahu asks Ricky about his mom, he picks the photograph he's got of her from his pocket, and it is unfolded. The shot cuts to Kahu receiving the photograph while being folded, and then unfolding it again.

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Quotes

Minister: You know, sometimes in life it seems like there's no way out. Like a sheep trapped in a maze designed by wolves.

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Crazy Credits

The credits include sections headed "Wildercrew" and "Wildercast", with the latter including the subheading "Wilderdogs".

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Connections

References Smash Palace (1981)

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Soundtracks

The Trifecta
Written by Rima Te Wiata (as R Te Wiata), Taika Waititi (as T. Waititi), Julian Dennison (as J. Dennison), Sam Neill (as S. Neill), Lukasz Pawel Buda (as L. Buda), Samuel Scott (as S. Scott) and Conrad Wedde (as C. Wedde)
Copyright Control / Native Tongue Music Publishing
Performed by Moniker

User Reviews

Taika's best movie so far

It's too hard to fault Taika Waititi; he's excellent at what he does, and this movie is surely his best yet. The story has serious matters at its heart, and yet it managed to stay well above maudlin at all times, being moving and downright hilarious most of the time.

Also a great spotlight once again on New Zealand's native bush, with many great little nods to Kiwi movies of years gone by. The leads, Sam Neill & Julian Dennison, are wonderful in their roles, and the supporting cast were not far behind.

So much a Kiwi movie and one for all ages, yet it's humour and story will definitely appeal beyond our shores. Go and see it now!