Utu (1983) on Netflix
NR19831h 58mAdventureDramaHistoryWar
In 1870, Te Wheke served the colonial forces in the New Zealand Wars until he found his birthplace destroyed. He turns on the colony, and settler Williamson wants utu for himself.
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- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb6.9/101,594 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Te Wheke rides with the colonial forces in the North Island during the New Zealand Wars. When he comes upon a village that the colonial troops have destroyed, he recognizes it as the place he was born, and he abandons the colonial side to fight it. He raids the homestead of the officer Williamson, whose response is to swear that he will hunt Te Wheke down himself. Wiremu, a Māori scout, and Lieutenant Scott, a veteran officer, set out to track Te Wheke as well, using the weapons and tactics of the insurgents, while their superior, Colonel Elliot, disapproves of the methods they choose.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Utu (1983)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- For its battle scenes, Utu amassed a thousand-strong army of about 900 extras, mostly school children, dressed up with masking tape, rolled sacks, cardboard boxes and hats, a likely New Zealand record.
- Director Geoff Murphy wanted the film to be period-accurate, so Anzac Wallace had the moko of his character Te Wheke applied every day of shooting, a four-hour session each time.
- Geoff Murphy had never been happy with the alternative cut of Utu made for international audiences; in 2013 he finished a restored, recut version, Utu Redux, which premiered at a Wellington film festival on 26 July 2013.
