But nope, they murder all the henchmen then let the worst guy walk away scott-free. Kind of a weak ending to an otherwise good action flick.
But the boy
1) BEAT the villain in a one-on-one fight,and so, deeply shamed him by being beaten by a boy, then
2) had the villain swear, out of fear for his life, that he and his whole tribe had to carry an honor debt to the boy for NOT killing him.
That, in that society, was a total victory, and a complete end of the villain's dream of glory. He instead was going to be regarded as the shame of his people. And by letting the villain live, the boy stopped the cycle of revenge. I would not regard that as a weak ending.
(I really should go and look up the names!)
Extremism is the first choice of the uninformed. Benjamin Whichcote
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nerowolfgal
9 years ago
I just read another thread "Cast Performs Tribal Dance At Toronto Film Fest"
gt-140-845179 wrote
It would have been good if they had included some more Maori insults (like "toenga kainga" - "you are not even worth cooking"), and they should have made it clear that Wirepa became taurekareka (a slave) the moment he was spared by the tama.
Which really makes it not a "weak ending"!
Extremism is the first choice of the uninformed. Benjamin Whichcote
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tommyk1287
9 years ago
I think stopping the cycle of revenge is a great theme, but it just doesn't fit in this situation. One of the first things we see the villain do is take a *beep* on his ancestors skull, lick it, and shatter it against a wall. He can't be trusted to honor a promise that no one else was around to witness, it's just strange.
If the boy took him prisoner and walked him back to his tribe personally, that might make more sense. However, letting the dishonorable villain walk away on faith alone was a weird choice. Still an awesome movie overall, though.
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apolk27
8 years ago
Exactly, he's gonna go back to the tribe. Oh hey guys I just killed the monster...that's it...nothing else to report. Hmmm let's go kill that kid and the rest of his ppl.
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Technomage001
8 years ago
I think it showed how the boy became a warrior then ended up thinking like a chief. What he did was for the good of his village or what was left of it. Bad guy wanted to die so he could be remembered in song and with respect by his father. The boy put his need for revenge aside by remembering his tribe was nearly wiped out and any continued war would end the tribal line. By making him swear, it was a shot for ending the war and giving the tribe a change to live on, which was why his grandmother approved of how he handled the situation. Ending the cycle of violence.
I thought the bad guy would go home and make up some story but if he had any faith left, by swearing on his family and the spirits of any ancestors around he would probably do the right thing and honor his word. Plus if he lied and was somehow found out he would be in an even worst situation. imo
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