Bullet Points: The Dead Lands (2014)
Has anyone else gotten tired of hearing English accents in nearly all of the historical action films out there? Whether it’s Greeks, Romans, Vikings, or even that one movie that takes place thousands of years ago, the Hollywood film generator assumes that we (dumb Americans) will just accept that any foreign accent will pass for a non-American. Well, I’m here to say that I’ll accept it no longer! That’s why I skipped out on any possibility of English-ness and went for something as far away from that tiny (yeah, I said it) country as possible. Foreign Film Friday is back with a vengeance!
Synopsis: 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.
- Peace, for now: We meet young Hongi (James Rolleston) and learn that his father is the Chief of a Maori village living peacefully for some time. A group of warriors from a neighboring tribe which used to be at war with Hongi’s tribe is visiting for some ceremonial deal commemorating a past war between the two tribes. Their leader, Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka) is a real jackass who seems hellbent on reigniting the war between the two tribes. He even goes so far as to piss all over some sacred burial grounds in hopes it would start shit.
- Okay, no more peace: It doesn’t take long after we see Wirepa being a jackass that his men attack Hongi’s peaceful tribe while they sleep. It’s a massacre. The aggressive warriors lead by Wirepa murder most of the tribe, leaving a few women and some old dudes alive. Hongi is wounded and flees. He returns to find his entire tribe is annihilated and his father dead. He takes up his weapons and begins to pursue Wirepa.
- Off into the Dead Lands: The legend states that there was once a tribe that lived to the East. They suddenly disappeared and now the lands are without people. There’s also a legend about a monster that eats human flesh. Both of these legends have a hint of truth to them as we find out, but neither is completely true. Wirepa and his minions decide to cut through The Dead Lands so Hongi is close behind. He decides to seek out the so-called “Monster” in order to convince him to help.
- The Monster: Lawrence Makoare as “The Warrior” was the standout performance in this for me. What a hell of an actor to bring so many emotions to a character so consumed with rage and death. Hongi finds the Monster and gets his help, but it’s so much more than that. They develop more of a relationship than half of the romantic comedies I’ve seen in recent years. They feed off of one another and both grow immensely from the time they first meet.
- The Battles within: Despite the many types of baggage they both bring to the table, both Hongi and the Warrior find a way to work together to find Wirepa. His band of fighters quickly find out how the Warrior survived so long by himself and why the legends about him being a Monster are almost true.
- Trippin’ balls and kickin’ asses: While there is a serious amount of ass-whoopin’s handed out by the Warrior and even Hongi, in time. There is also a few scenes where the characters trip balls on some shrooms in order to talk to their ancestors.
- Not bad, kid: While they are chasing Wirepa and his men through the Dead Lands, Hongi is slowly learning the skills needed from his new friend to deliver a few ass whoopin’s of his own. By the end, it isn’t so much a fight between the Warrior and twenty guys like early in the film, but now it’s more of a tag team match with the Warrior and Hongi teaming up. He’s a fast learner and not so easy to kill.
The Verdict: The Dead Lands had been on my radar for several years and somehow I waited this long to watch it. It was a really awesome change of scenery for me since I’ve spent so much time watching Norsemen movies or seeing Japanese samurai battles. The film looks top notch and the performances are miles better than I would have guessed. I’m not sure I’ve seen a film from Toa Fraser other than the Jamie Bell/Mark Strong one 6 Days. This, of course, is my new favorite from him and I’ll be sure to check out his other works.
