Action thriller set in colonial New Zealand, starring Ray Winstone as an ex-Boer War master tracker aiming to collect the bounty on a man (Temuera Morrison) who has gone bush after being accused of murdering a British soldier.
Kereama (Morrison) and Arjan (Winstone) test their wits and bushcraft skills against each other in a life or death game of cat and mouse through the varied landscape of New Zealand. Kereama is repeatedly caught by the master tracker but manages to continually escape before Arjan can claim the bounty. The pair gradually come to know and respect each other but as Kereama continues to protest his innocence to Arjan, a British possee intent on capturing and hanging the seaman is hot on the trail, following close behind.
There’s something reassuringly old fashioned about Tracker. In an era when it seems like every film to come out of New Zealand is a polite romantic comedy, this one feels like it could have been made 30 years ago. It’s vaguely reminiscent of Utu, or a western-tinged picture that paints the country as a wild, desolate, lonely landscape waiting to be discovered.
A stilted beginning hits its stride when the characters leave the township and go bush. Some beautiful scenic cinematography and a grand score bring out the majesty of the country. As a South African immigrant, Ray Winstone carries the film and, whilst his accent veers from Boer to Brixton, he’s a rock of a presence. Alongside him, Temuera Morrison gets to clash fists as a wrongly accused Maori seaman, playing on his comic inclinations but channelling some heart, too.
Downsides are that the screenplay is a little on-the-nose and thematic ideas that attempt to parallel the plights of Winstone’s Boer War veteran and Morrison’s ‘noble savage’ are a bit heavy-handed. The film feels quite lengthy, even though it isn’t, because watching two men follow each around the wilderness loses its appeal before too long. It’s this relative lack of action, pared with simplistic message-movie sentiments, that hampers what in any other case is a solid local movie.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
I'll be purchasing some dvds to send overseas when they come out. Just so friends can see the beautiful NZ scenary. However, the movie was just ok. I don't know if it's just me...but all I could think about when I watched this was 'Jake Heke'. Tem, seemed to look and act the same, and I couldn't quite get him in this role. But the story was different, the scenary made up for the slow parts, and I love Tem, so do recommend this if you have nothing else to do on a Sunday afternoon.
I thought the movie flowed along great, the scenery was stunning. The 2 main characters did a great job with the acting, it seemed to need something else rather than just tracking as it seemed monotonous at times. Kia Kaha.
I wasn't expecting much but was a decent watch. Ray Winstone is always great to watch and Temuera Morrison wasn't too bad. The whole 'tracking' thing got a bit old after a while but I liked how the main characters bonded. Not bad...and the New Zealand scenery is as always...breathtaking!
The script is tedious, portentous, and ultimately just laughably stupid.
Colonial NZ western to go down in history, among other subjects
Running all over the place...
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 5th May 2011.
Release date: May 5th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
