Lee Tamahori Looks Back on Defining Movie Once Were Warriors

Lee Tamahori breakout film as a director was the 1994 drama Once Were Warriors, a movie that he initially thought would fail when it was released.

Speaking to ComingSoon, Tamahori reflected on the film’s 30th anniversary and revealed that even though it ended up being a defining project for him, he didn’t think it would amount to much upon release.

“Well, it sort of, yes, it defined my place in the film industry, really, without a doubt,” said Tamahori. “Strange, though, because I never thought it would. I thought the thing would die a natural death and just be seen by a few people, and maybe in an obscure film festival or something because it was just so gut-wrenching. I didn’t think anyone would really be able to stomach it. Even in New Zealand. I thought it would fail dismally in New Zealand.”

Tamahori thinks Once Were Warriors still holds up

Tamahori went on to say that he rewatched the movie almost two years ago to see how it stood up. Despite some things like modern amenities, the director said he believes the film, and its soundtrack, still hold up and are just as relevant today.

“I watched it a year and a half ago to see how it stood up in the test of time, and it holds up really well,” Tamahori said. “Apart from certain things like cars and a few other things, the world itself is still exactly the same as it would be today, and the dialogue is the same. There are just no smartphones, and people will communicate, but it holds up really well. Musically, it holds up well, too. You could play the music today. The soundtrack is just as relevant today.”

Once Were Warriors was released in 1994, and followed the story of the Heke family, an urban Māori extended family living in South Auckland. The movie chronicles their life and subsequent problems with poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence, and more, as well as the colonization of New Zealand.

Following the film’s release, it quickly became a hit, and became the highest-grossing film of all-time in New Zealand at the time.