wtf?! 8.5?! this is a load of crap! It feels like a bad "ripped off the headlines" US TV movie!
Unless you're a Kiwi with a morbid curiosity about this story that apparently made the news in NZ, stay away from this turkey... it's horribly badly directed, written and acted...
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
I have to disagree with your assessment. I just watched this for the first time and found it very interesting and involving in a way that is not usual for films of this nature. I am not a fan of slasher flicks and I understand that this was a true story. It affected me more than a documentary of a similar incident (say, Columbine for instance) because this was told in a mute narrative fashion. Seeing the people in this village going on about their lives, knowing what was coming but not knowing which of these people were going to snap until he was identified by name, made it suspenseful for me. Then, the blank disclosure, just witnessing the events as though there and observing at the time, the casual way he just went about shooting people, the flat crack of the automatic (or was it semiautomatic?) weapon as he just pointed and shot over and over, without regard to age, sex or infirmity, without pity -- it affected me deeply. I cried. Near the end, you could see a part of him realizing what he'd done, when he wipes that black off his face. He's lost, with no idea how to come out of it. I believe he wanted to die at the end, he made them kill him.
Being a U.S. citizen and of course not reading international news, I never heard of the Aramoana massacre until Himoana Baker's CD by that title. And then came this movie, which I heard about only through Karl Urban fan circles. I am glad he did it, not only for his own sake showing how well he can act in a serious drama, but also for the sake of telling this story.
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You have to be open to suffering a little
The film has scored pretty high with a relatively low number of votes.
This film has obvioulsy hit a chord with a lot of kiwis who have voted it considerably higher than other more impartial (read: BORED) viewers who were previously unaware of the story.
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No f-----g s--t lady, do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza??
The OP doesn't know what they're talking about. I personally think this is one of the best examples of brilliant New Zealand filmmaking over the last couple of years. While I was hesitant about watching it at first, I think it is fantastically well made and performed and really surpised me. I can vaguely remember watching the breaking news when I was really young, with the reporters standing up on the hill. This movie really spoke to me and I agree that it deserves it's high rating on IMDb.
We shan't be telling your mother about this shan't we???
I'm a kiwi, and I remember the events of the time. I just watched this for the first time with two French girls who had no knowledge of the events... And they were absolutely on the edge of their seats the whole movie. The only time there was any laughter was due to nervousness (The 'run!' 'I can't!' bit). They were shocked, that it had happened in such a seemingly tranquil place. While something like this may happen all the time in the gun-happy USA, in my country this was almost unheard of. For a generation desensitised thanks to endless hollywood shoot-em-ups, just remember this is telling a TRUE story, that happened to REAL people. People in real life react differently to people in movies (surprisingly, eh?). How many people would be as brave as the old lady (a 73 year old, with a hip replacement, no less) who crawled to phone the police, then crawled BACK to check on one of the victims. At any point, David Gray could have strolled up and killed her - she was completely helpless.
If it was an original story, fine, rip it to shreds... but THIS REALLY HAPPENED, so show some respect. If you didn't like it, then at the very least, frame your comments with due care...
Although I am not from New Zealand (I am Canadian), I was living in Christchurch, New Zealand when this film came out. I found this film to be incredibly moving and completely impressed me. I keep trying to find it on DVD here in Canada, but can't. Directly after watching the film, my friend and I went to the local bookstore and found the book that the movie is based on (both of which, of course, are based on the true events that occurred in Aramoana) and found the actors and actresses they used to look eerily similar to those whose lives were tragically taken. The scene with Karl Urban holding the small girl and telling her a story in the police car, while his partner holds a young, dead boy was extremely sad. I found this movie affected me in a similar manner to the Gus Van Sant film "Elephant" which mimicked the tragic events that occurred at Columbine. You feel for the tragic lives that were lost, and you hope that the current character on the screen doesn't meet the same fate.
I understand that everyone has their own opinions and that we are all allowed to voice these opinions. But I agree with kirkmoore - please have respect for those people who died, and try to appreciate a film that has finally told their tragic stories.
I live in the US...and do watch MANY Hollywood movies...but, I can definitely appreciate a film geared more towards "Kiwis", especially when considering the gravity of this film. The way it was directed made you feel how you wanted to feel about it--no special effects, no special music to really sway your feelings. You may not have been able to completely get in touch with the characters, but, at the end of the movie, I was definitely left with "caring" for what happened that fateful two days and about the people whose lives were so deeply impacted by what happened. They may not be Americans, but they are people, too. They have thoughts, feelings, and situations much like we do in our own lives--all across the world! At first I wasn't sure what I got myself into by renting this movie, but, as time went on...my heart really went out to them as I could relate to the fear that community was feeling. It also made me appreciate the much faster response times we have here in the US. Granted, NZ may have a fast response system, but this area was so remote from what I can tell, and it took too much time to get these people help... So many families broken and scorned by the rage this man felt. Sad story, and I'm a better person for watching it.
shareThe OP probably didn't like it because it didn't have any car chases or boobies. Sad act!
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God Hates Fangs!
OP-*beep* off mate
My body is broken
wtf?! 8.5?! this is a load of crap! It feels like a bad "ripped off the headlines" US TV movie!I'm with you. First of all, there's no real suspense as far as the ending goes because everyone already knows what's happened, and that it's a tragedy, etc. That's the nature of a movie based upon commonly known events. But the WAY this film goes about presenting the events does little if anything to provide said tragedy with any new insights. It doesn't get into the mind of the killer; it's portrayal of him is one dimensional (i.e. the guy is a whack job). (Compare this to Animal Kingdom, for example, to see the difference.) Also, the over use of extreme closeups is more typical of a made for TV movie. And the panoramic shots of NZ seem to be tossed in almost as an afterthought. Regardless of the budget, this film has a very amateurish feel to it.
Unless you're a Kiwi with a morbid curiosity about this story that apparently made the news in NZ, stay away from this turkey... it's horribly badly directed, written and acted...