Popular reviews

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  Review by Gemma G ★★★★½ 1

  This is fucking great. It bangs. It’s ambiguous and direct and swings for all the fences. It fucks around with facts and centres itself in the whenua. Loved it.

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  Review by Alex J 🤠 ★★★★

  Opening your anti cop film with the title card “the views and version of events as presented here are not endorsed by the New Zealand Police” is the hardest shit I’ve ever seen.

  TIFF 2022 - Film #3

  2022 Ranked

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  Review by Calum Dewsnap ★★★★

  NZIFF #1

  Not what I expected at all. As opposed to a dramatisation of the Tūhoe raids, we have a fictionalised, action thriller based on several events in New Zealand's history. I think this is more effective than a simple retelling as it makes it clear that the film isn't just about one single day, it's about every day in which New Zealand's racial hierarchy is enforced by the government, media and it's people. Something as a nation we like to pretend doesn't happen.

  I felt very privileged to be able to attend the world premiere. There was a great atmosphere and the passionate speeches from the cast and director showed how important this film is for them and New Zealand as a whole.

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  Review by tom ★★★★ 1

  when i first found out about muru, i was super happy that NZ was mythologising and making films of its own events- a police thriller about the tuhoe raids makes sense, we deserve stories about ourselves to understand and recontextualise our history! we have important things to say, and our history is worth making stories about. big fan of nz history movies, especially if its in the vein of sleeping dogs. 

  but this is anything but a conventional thriller, which is exactly what the subject matter requires. the opening is probably the most telling thing- text saying that the nz police don’t endorse this retelling, and that this isnt a film about the tuhoe raids, its a response to it.…

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  Review by Alex ★★★★ 1

  Opens with a disclaimer from the New Zealand police saying they dispute and refute their portrayal in the movie which is how you know it’s an accurate portrayal of them.

  What an absolute pimp move from Tame Iti to be arrested and convicted during the raids this film is in response to, then years later be completely vindicated and produce and star in an excellent movie about it. Incredible man, incredible move. Would love to hear about his time in China during the Cultural Revolution.

  Really impressed with Tearepa Kahi‘s direction. Some really really cool sequences in here. I’d enjoyed his documentary about Herbs a couple years back but missed Mt Zion because I’m still kinda pissed at Stan Walker…

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  Review by joshrowley ★★★

  Engaging; frustrating; interesting; realistic; tense; thin; underdeveloped; well-crafted; well-shot.

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  Review by cal 🥪 ★★★★★

  absolutely insane that the cinema ran a recruiting ad for the nz armed forces before this

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  Review by Stefan ★★★

  NZIFF Film #1

  Very solid movie !!

  From a filmmaking perspective it was a bit generically directed, but for the most part I don’t think that really matters due to what this film was ultimately aiming to do which is to serve as a reminder to not repeat these terrible actions committed in the past.

  Likely gonna see again on its theatrical release, it’s quite good and worked well with a packed crowd of 2000+ people for the film fest opening night.

  Hope you’re all doing well and happy NZIFF!

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  Review by George ★★★½ 2

  Glad I don’t have to rate the movie poster

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  Review by Jasper ★★★★

  No happy meal.

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  Review by Marcel Currin ★★★★½

  I’m so impressed and moved by what Muru manages to achieve. The balls on this thing to cast Tame Iti as himself in a fictional version of events without coming across like it’s trying to mythologise him or rewrite his story.  

  We’ve all seen films based on real events that play hard and loose with facts for the sake of drama. This is not one of those films. It doesn’t pretend to be an accurate portrayal of a particular day in history. The closing titles cite four different historic events and sources that inspired the film. That’s when I really understood what the film had done. If fiction is the lie that tells a truth, Muru uses fiction to…

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  Review by Hugo ★★★

  O roteiro detalha um conflito entre agentes do governo e nativos no interior da Nova Zelândia colocando um policial comunitário no meio do fogo cruzado.

  Para ler mais: cinema-filmeseseriados.blogspot.com/2023/10/muru.html