“Utu” is a word from the Maori
dialect of New Zealand which roughly translates to “revenge.” However, the word does not carry with it in
its original denotation a negative implication.
Indeed, it is also said to mean “to balance.” Geoff Murphy’s Utu (1983) manages a unique balance itself, as it is able to tell
the story of the 1870 Maori uprising against the British colonials with
multiple viewpoints shaping the narrative.
This makes for a film that might screen well in an intercultural
relations course, but the somewhat nontraditional approach to the material makes
the movie difficult to digest.
The plot here centers around the
actions of Te Wheke (Anzac Wallace), a native scout for the British army, who
suffers the indignity of watching his village fall to the empyreal forces he
was hired to aid. Incensed, he invokes
Utu, and vows to drive the British from New Zealand or kill as many colonists
as he can before being taken by the army.
His acts are brutal—he decapitates a priest during his sermon—and they
cause the army to take notice. A young officer,
Lt. Scott (Kelly Johnson), with guerilla tactics training is brought in with
the instruction to stop Te Wheke and his gang of marauders.
Equally important to the film’s multi-narrative
structure is the colonist Williamson (Bruno Lawrence), whose home functioned as
an outpost and armory for the army until it was sacked by Te Wheke. The rebellious Maori killed his wife and left
him for dead, and like them he swears revenge.
This parallel between adversarial characters adds depth to the story,
and brings to light that violence always begets more violence. Williamson’s rage borders on psychosis, and
he constructs a unique weapon with which he plans to exact his own revenge.
As multiple story lines follow Te
Wheke’s reign of terror and the army’s attempts to capture him the film
occasionally descends into utter confusion. Much
like the British officers who can’t tell the difference between rebel Maori and
converted servants to the crown, quick-paced editing in lengthy gun battles makes
it difficult to determine who’s who.
Most action adventure films require a few characters for cannon fodder,
but here it was often difficult to tell if central figures have been wounded or
even killed.
This disorienting effect tapers off
as the narrative shifts focus to Lt. Scott, whose methods seem that they would
be effective were it not for the nincompoopery of his superior, Colonel Elliot.
The two battle with subtle words, as
such figures often do in films about the military, but ultimately Elliot is not
Scott’s primary impediment to success.
That title belongs to Kura, a Maori woman for whom he fall into deep
infatuation, particularly after she cleverly escapes his capture.
Much
of beautiful New Zealand is on display throughout Utu, but only occasionally does cinematographer Graeme Cowley take
full advantage of the natural pallet at his disposal. In the moments that he truly lets the
landscape shine the films takes on a feeling of epic adventure, often aided by
the versatile scoring by John Charles.
Gunfights and horse chases on the open range contribute to this spirited
tone, but the film never quite takes on the likes of Indiana Jones.
Still,
Utu contains enough drama, subtle
comedic moments, and violent action to garner love from critics and fans
alike. It is both quirky and poignant,
never failing to reveal the ironies of violent behavior. At its conclusion it is thought provoking,
and it makes clear that no perspective or single character was fully good or
evil. Each did what they were compelled
to do for reasons which they felt justified their actions. More films should aspire to such intelligent treatment
of both characters and audiences. I didn’t
love Utu, but I was both entertained
and engaged.
Language:
English/Maori
Runtime:
118 Minutes
Grade:
2.5 Hats Off
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