IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
In 1870, a Maori warrior working with the British finds his village massacred, and vows revenge.In 1870, a Maori warrior working with the British finds his village massacred, and vows revenge.In 1870, a Maori warrior working with the British finds his village massacred, and vows revenge.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIncluded among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.
- Alternate versionsOriginal New Zealand version runs 118 minutes; US version was cut to 105 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Making Utu (1983)
Featured review
Interesting morality tale
Utu is quite a good film. Having said that, it is quite possible that we have seen it before in other settings.
Utu is unique in that it is one of the few films available in North America dealing with the Maori culture of New Zealand. Other than that, the film is basically an anti colonial sentimented film which could have taken place almost anywhere else in the world where colonialism was experienced.
Utu still manages to pack a punch in the very earnest way the main character sets out to rid his country of the white invaders. Utu, meaning revenge, is the basic theme of this story. The colonial army in the film pillages Maori villages. The Maori corporal who quits the army to fight against it seeks revenge. The story is simple, yet compelling.
The film examines imperialism in a light not uncommon to stories of this nature, but it is better in the sense that it does not try to gloss over the anger of the natives by arming them conveniently with western values. That is a crime many movies are guilty of. The level of violence in the film is typical by genre standards, and it actually lends itself to the films raw emotion. This one's worth a look.
Utu is unique in that it is one of the few films available in North America dealing with the Maori culture of New Zealand. Other than that, the film is basically an anti colonial sentimented film which could have taken place almost anywhere else in the world where colonialism was experienced.
Utu still manages to pack a punch in the very earnest way the main character sets out to rid his country of the white invaders. Utu, meaning revenge, is the basic theme of this story. The colonial army in the film pillages Maori villages. The Maori corporal who quits the army to fight against it seeks revenge. The story is simple, yet compelling.
The film examines imperialism in a light not uncommon to stories of this nature, but it is better in the sense that it does not try to gloss over the anger of the natives by arming them conveniently with western values. That is a crime many movies are guilty of. The level of violence in the film is typical by genre standards, and it actually lends itself to the films raw emotion. This one's worth a look.
- How long is Utu?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $1,650
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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