Utu (1983)

Utu: Directed by Geoff Murphy. With Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Tim Elliott, Kelly Johnson. In 1870, a Maori warrior working with the British finds his village massacred, and vows revenge.

“Most reviewers have referred to this as a Western, but I feel that puts a label on it that is misleading. The setting involves a colonial power and subjugated indigenous people in 1870 New Zealand, but it could have been 1870 Australia or Canada or Mexico or United States or any number of other countries. It is a fiction based upon real people and events with a late 19th century New Zealand setting. One needs to view it without the preconceived notions and if so done, you will better enjoy it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll that said, I would highly recommend viewing the recently released u0026#39;Utu Reduxu0026#39; version. It is a bit shorter with a greatly improved image and sound. It has been digitized and is now available on region free DVD and Blu-ray. Since its 1983 release, it was bastardized by various distributors with length changes and quality losses. The director, editor and original cinematographer spent much time and expense to get back the film they intended. u0026#39;Utu Reduxu0026#39; is that film.”