(New Zealand/UK, 107 min.)
Dir. Toa Fraser, Writ. Glenn Standring
Starring: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka,
Xavier Horan, Rakura Turei
Why don’t we have films like The Dead Lands in Canada? Screening in Ottawa at The ByTowne the
very week that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission finally brought serious
discussions about the treatment of First Nations persons to the forefront, the
power of seeing The Dead Lands on the
big screen offers a reminder that Canadian cinema doesn’t give full
representation to the history and heritage on which this nation stands. One can
literally count on one finger the number of kick-ass First Nations dramas we have
in Canada (Rhymes for Young Ghouls)
and only a few other fingers account for pre-colonial dramatizations of First
Nations communities (Maïna, which is not good, and Atanarjuat, a landmark film, for sure). A film like The
Dead Lands gives a rich, thrilling, and decidedly cinematic dramatization
of indigenous culture. The film is a game-changer not for its spectacular
action, but for the way it weaves myth, folklore, and tribal codes into the
power dynamics that fuel the drama. This wild and accessible action film is
another example for why Canada should look to New Zealand and Australia for
cinematic inspiration.
This film by UK director Toa Fraser (Dean Spanley) is presented entirely in Maori (it was New Zealand’s Oscar submission last year) and it whisks audiences to pre-colonial New Zealand where Hongi (James Rolleston, Boy) is thrown into the role of chief when is tribe is annihilated by a brutal and deceitful attack. The young Hongi embarks on an epic quest to restore honour to his tribe and to find justice for his father’s killer. His road to revenge leads him to the mysterious terrain of “The Dead Lands,” an eerie terrain where even brave men fear to tread. His foe (Xavier Horan), however, is a ruthless man driven by his quest for glory, and crossing the Dead Lands is a noble task for one leader to prove himself to another.
It’s in the Dead Lands that Hongi encounters the warrior
(Lawrence Makoare). The warrior is an urban legend of sorts, an immortal
monster with the power to crush and consume any man. Hongi and the warrior both
share similar codes of honour, though, and they become allies in the fight
against ruthless foes.
The Dead Lands
unfolds like a conventional revenge plot with a hint of the epic sweep of
Michael Mann’s The Last of Mohicans,
but Fraser delivers some wickedly cool full-throttle action in this ferociously
violent film. The Dead Lands offers
some of the most spectacular and original martial arts sequences that audiences
will see in contemporary film as the fights between Hongi, the warrior, and
their foes offer the first-ever cinematic choreography of the traditional Maori
martial art of Mau rākau. The warriors intimidate even from the space of seat
to screen as they stand in a row, stick out their tongues, and chant before
vaulting into intense blow-for-blow combat. Even the grounded fight scenes
between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi in Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon are too traditional to provide fair comparisons. There
simply isn’t any other action film like The
Dead Lands. Strong cinematography by Leon Narby is stylish and gritty, and
it makes the fights land with a greater blow.
The freshness and uniqueness of The Dead Lands compensates for some inconsistencies in style and
tone, as well as convoluted plot turns that are sometimes hard to follow. The
novelty of the fights and the action, moreover, draws out the richness of the
message of honour and respect that Hongi encounters on his odyssey to mature as
a resilient leader. What the film lacks in focus it gains in theme. The Dead Lands resonates with its
philosophy of nobility and good leadership despite its pre-colonial setting—there’s
a reason such values endure, and Rolleston and Makoare embody them greatly in
their strong performances. (As does Horan for the opposite as their foil.)
Similarly, the respect for elders and ancestors holds strong as Hongi draws
inspiration from his grandmother, who speaks to him from the afterlife in some
vividly fantastical sequences that make this film additionally original. Future generations can gain much knowledge from such a wise film: it's the stuff from which greatness is born.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
The Dead Lands screened in Ottawa at The ByTowne.
Update: It screens at Asinabka on Aug. 19 at Victoria Island.
Screening is free/pay what you can.
Update: It screens at Asinabka on Aug. 19 at Victoria Island.
Screening is free/pay what you can.