Having been promised a movie like 'The Fugitive' on the DVD cover, I was not disappointed with this low budget action thriller set in early 20th century New Zealand. The film was a sequence by sequence, parallel to the vastly superior Fugitive, yet still kept me entertained. The film even has a replica fugitive jumping vast distance into the water, not pulling the impact of the fugitive, but still extremely entertaining to see Dr. Hone Ropata stick out his tongue as he falls.
The acting in the film is generally very good. Ray Winstone pulls a great South African accent, occasionally a little rough to understand but constantly a believable and understandable effort. Gareth Reeves also stands out as an exceptional English soldier, standing up amongst the great of Winstone and cementing his nature of a chameleon actor. Mark Mitchinson also stands out as truly despicable villain, a archetypical antagonist, who unfortunately does not give a satisfying conclusion to his arc in the story. The only lowlight in this stellar cast is unfortunately, the usually very talented Temuera Morrison. His lackluster performance is way behind his past standouts as Hone Ropata, Jake the Muss and Jango Fett, making his apparently intimidating character seem vastly inferior and weak standing next to the wonderful Winstone. When emotional scenes are called upon, Morrison seems to shout in a grisly voice, instead of actually acting and it is hard to sympathize for the character without feelings of melodrama seeping in, with only the well written script being an indication of how the viewer should feel.
The film is superbly directed, with every establishing shot a wonderfully beautiful shot of New Zealand landscapes, putting across the setting and giving viewers an idea of the characters anguish and backstory. At times the audio is hard to understand but generally the film is well edited and enjoyable to view. The direction is great and the film, though nothing compared to the Fugitive, is a enjoyable watch.
The acting in the film is generally very good. Ray Winstone pulls a great South African accent, occasionally a little rough to understand but constantly a believable and understandable effort. Gareth Reeves also stands out as an exceptional English soldier, standing up amongst the great of Winstone and cementing his nature of a chameleon actor. Mark Mitchinson also stands out as truly despicable villain, a archetypical antagonist, who unfortunately does not give a satisfying conclusion to his arc in the story. The only lowlight in this stellar cast is unfortunately, the usually very talented Temuera Morrison. His lackluster performance is way behind his past standouts as Hone Ropata, Jake the Muss and Jango Fett, making his apparently intimidating character seem vastly inferior and weak standing next to the wonderful Winstone. When emotional scenes are called upon, Morrison seems to shout in a grisly voice, instead of actually acting and it is hard to sympathize for the character without feelings of melodrama seeping in, with only the well written script being an indication of how the viewer should feel.
The film is superbly directed, with every establishing shot a wonderfully beautiful shot of New Zealand landscapes, putting across the setting and giving viewers an idea of the characters anguish and backstory. At times the audio is hard to understand but generally the film is well edited and enjoyable to view. The direction is great and the film, though nothing compared to the Fugitive, is a enjoyable watch.