As soon as I read the premise of this movie, I knew I was going to watch it. All I had to do then was wait for an opportune moment because you have to be in the right mood for something like this. The Convert is a historical drama with a bit of action and whole lot of atmosphere and stunning locations. The story takes place back in 1830 and it follows Thomas Munro, a British priest who travels to the faraway land of New Zealand. There, he finds himself in the middle of a vicious war between two Maori tribes. I better stop myself here because I don’t want to spoil anything for you. The Convert is based on the novel Wulf by Hamish Clayton and directed by Lee Tamahori.
The same Lee Tamahori who was behind such hits as The Edge and James Bond: Die Another Day. However, my favorite Tamahori movie is undoubtedly Once Were Warriors, a nineties classic about Maoris today. So, you can say that our homeboy has some street cred. This was a counterweight to the ugly colonial vibe that was the elephant in the room when it came to this movie. I mean, the story couldn’t have been more irritating as we see a gentle, smart, and peace-loving man of god coming to spread the “good word” to “savages”. Dear Satan, if I hate something it’s the pompous British colonial past. They were right fucking twats, innit?
Luckily, The Convert manages to overcome these issues but just barely. Once again I’ll refer to Mr. Slavoj Zizek and his lecture regarding people living in Africa. I’m still looking for the exact quote but it goes something like this: “white people went to Africa and fucked everything up (which is kind of true) and now all the evil people there are doing can be traced back to that event. They won’t even let us be us, be authentically human even if it means being evil. To commit horrific atrocities and so on, and so on. Sniff, sniff.” Just like I did in my Hostiles review, I ask that if you find the original lecture, please add it to the comments.
It’s hard to put into words the beauty of New Zealand. From dreamy beaches, piercing-green forests, to foggy valleys and imposing mountains, everything looks simply stunning. Hell, The Convert is worth watching purely because of these gorgeous landscapes. The alluring cinematography along with convincing sets and costumes will immerse you fully in this movie. Okay, okay, the Maori settlements could’ve looked better, there, I’ve said it. However, you should know that I know jack shit about this topic and I’m talking purely from a cinematic perspective. And a personal one as well, I mean, I would fortify those walls for sure. Anyways, let’s move on.
And then we have the Maori themselves with those striking face tattoos and strange weapons. Speaking of Maori and weapons, I must mention a New Zealander metal band Alien Weaponry and their song Kai Tangata. It’s freaking awesome. Almost all of the fighting will be done with spears, knives carved out of whale bones, and other weapons of the old. This means the Maori war will be gruesomely bloody. I appreciate the fact they were willing to show just how brutal this was. The executions seemed particularly nasty with that weird white instrument basically severing your spinal cord at the back of your neck.
Yikes, give me old fashioned hanging, guillotine, or the firing squad any day of the week and I’ll be a happy but dead camper. The cast of The Convert, led by dependable Guy Pierce did a terrific job.I’ve never heard of any of these actors but I’ll sure keep an eye on them now: Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, and Lawrence Makoare. Jacqueline McKenzie, who plays Pierce’s love interest was just as good.
As you would expect, we will learn a bit about Maori culture and this part of their long history. Ngamaru Raerino was the Māori cultural consultant and I hope he did a good job as I don’t know much about this subject. However, it seems awfully similar to any other culture in the world. Finally, if you’re looking for movies like The Convert, do check out The Dead Lands. Of course, Apocalypto, despite being set in South America, is always worth another go.
Director: Lee Tamahori
Writers: Shane Danielsen, Lee Tamahori, Michael Bennett
Cast: Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie, Lawrence Makoare
Fun Facts: The Convert was shot in New Zealand, more precisely the North Island, one of the two big islands. The beach scenes were filmed on West Auckland beaches while the rest in Northland and in Studio West.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20113412/
