The Convert – Movie Review

Director: Lee Tamahori

Writer: Shane Danielsen, Lee Tamahori, Michael Bennett (Screenplay)

Writer: Hamish Clayton (Novel)

Cast

• Guy Pearce (Memento)
• Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne (Hunt for the Wilderpeople)
• Antonio Te Maioha (Spartacus)
• Jacqueline McKenzie (Deep Blue Sea)
• Te Kohe Tuhaka (Love and Monsters)

Plot: A lay preacher arrives at a British settlement in 1830s. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Māori tribes.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Convert starts when a British lay preacher Thomas Munro (Pearce) finds shelter on a remote island where others are starting to settle. He wants to bring the word of Christianity to the local area and quickly finds out about battling Māori tribes. After Thomas saves Rangimai (Ngatai-Melbourne) her father assigns him to teach her in the new settlement.

Thomas learns more about the battle between the Māori tribes and wants to help them find peace. He guides them in fighting back against the ruthless warlord to stop the bloodshed.

Verdict on The Convert

The Convert is an action drama following a British preacher who tries to find peace between warring Māori tribes. He wants to lead them in finding a peaceful solution but finds himself preparing them for war.

This movie shows the involvement of the British in warring tribes and how they played a peace card but didn’t want to accept them as equals. While some tribes continued in calm others saw it as weakness and led the battle against them. This showed how barbaric humans could be and how little they did to keep the world at peace. It shows the countless victims of conflict who would see the numbers and traditions control their decisions. This gets the bigger picture overall but never feels as intense as the concept presents itself to be. Even if it does its best to people the Māori people are in the spotlight of the decisions.

Where to Watch

The Convert will be available on Digital Download from 14th October

Final Thoughts – The Convert is an interesting dive into Māori history.