Utu (film)

Utu
DVD cover
Directed by	Geoff Murphy
Written by	Geoff Murphy Keith Aberdein
Produced by	Geoff Murphy
Starring	Anzac Wallace Bruno Lawrence Kelly Johnson Wi Kuki Kaa Tim Elliot Merata Mita Tania Bristowe Martyn Sanderson Ilona Rodgers
Cinematography	Graeme Cowley
Edited by	Michael J. Horton
Music by	John Charles
Release date	1983 (1983)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	New Zealand
Languages	English Maori
Box office	NZ$600,000 (est) (New Zealand)[1]

Utu is a 1983 New Zealand war film about the New Zealand Wars. Co-written and directed by Geoff Murphy, the films stars Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Tim Eliott, Ilona Rodgers, Wi Kuki Kaa and Merata Mita, and depicts the story of a Māori warrior who sets out on a quest for "utu" (revenge). Inspired by the events of Te Kooti's War, the film is set in 1870 in the North Island and has been described as a New Zealand Western.

The film, which had one of the largest budgets for a New Zealand film when it was produced, screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, and became the second most successful locally-made movie released in New Zealand after being released in theatres.^[2] Positive reviews of the film from American critics, include a rave view from Pauline Kael, helped to gain Murphy directing opportunities in Hollywood. In 2013, partially thanks to the longtime existence of an alternative cut of the film aimed at international audiences which Murphy had never been happy with, he completed work on a restored and recut version. Titled Utu Redux, the recut version, premiered at a film festival in Wellington on 26 July 2013.