Alicia I love this movie so much

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

aforandromeda Boer War veteran Arjan Van Diemen (Ray Winstone), an Afrikaner who has lost everything at the hands of the British, including his family and farm, lands in New Zealand. A superb tracker and thorn in the side of the British during the war, Van Diemen nevertheless is facing an uncertain future. Ironically, he accepts an offer from former foe Major Pritchard Carlysle (Gareth Reeves) to help hunt down and apprehend a fugitive Maori sailor (Temuera Morrison) who has been accused of murder. Venturing deep into the dominion from the coast, Arjan soon finds himself struggling with not only a formidable quarry, but also his own conscience.Somewhat overlooked upon release and since, Tracker really does deserve a more elevated status. With a well written script and to the point story line, the film quickly demand the viewer's attention. The characters are well fleshed out, with interesting and sympathetic back stories. Veteran director Ian Sharp handles the tale very well indeed, showing strong technical ability and a polished style but without the need for flashy gimmicks or pointless editing. Crucially, he lets the story flow seamlessly and brings out the best in his talented cast.Performances are truly excellent throughout, with both Winstone and Morrison utilising their considerable screen presences to great effect without ever becoming overbearing. Winstone, a truly underrated actor in my opinion, brings Van Diemen's inner turmoil and sorrow subtly home, as well as providing a convincingly thick Afrikaans accent. Morrison is equally as good as a man beset by his own demons, eliciting sympathy and respect without overacting. The leads are well supported by the rest of the cast, with Reeves as the respectful Major and Andy Anderson as local tracker Bryce being particular highlights.Of course, the other star of the show is the wonderful New Zealand scenery. The locations are quite simply breathtaking. Harvey Harrison's cinematography is extraordinary well judged, with each scene set against tremendous backdrops that give Tracker a look and feel like few other movies. Mixed with subtle post-production, you quickly find yourself eagerly awaiting the next stunning location.The only real criticism to make is that the story arc is sometimes predictable, however this is a minor quibble as Tracker is an exceptionally well made and beautifully shot piece of work. Add in it's splendid performances and you have a truly absorbing, well told and refreshingly unpretentious dramatic adventure that deserves to find itself a greater audience.

makaniolu I live in Hawai'i and because of that, I could relate to the history of how a Polynesian of Maori descent would've been treated back then. The British treated the Maori just the same as how the Americans treated the Hawaiians. But then again, back then, anything other than being white, you were less than human. The British and Americans treated their dogs better than they did someone of color. But going back to the movie, I found it to be a good story with very good acting from Winstone and Morrison. Temuera Morrison seems to be the go to actor when filming in or about Aotearoa. The relationship that developed between the two characters was interesting and I was waiting to see if/when the common bonds would kick in. In the end, I'm glad that it did. It somehow redeemed the fact that there is some decency in humans after all on the part of Van Diemen. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 was because of the weak supporting cast of characters. I could see this movie being acted out with just the two characters of Winstone and Morrison once the story was set in place.

Nat Williams I didn't think it was possible, but I finally watched a Ray Winstone movie that wasn't very good. "Tracker" has a fine premise and could have provided a valuable history lesson, as few Americans (myself included) have little knowledge of the Boer Wars. However, despite the gorgeous New Zealand scenery, the plot, direction and acting are fairly lame. Temuera Morrison, playing the native Maori being tracked, overacts to an embarrassing degree and even Winstone - one of my favorite non-American actors - seems to be doing little more than going through the motions. The plot is predictable, the dialog stilted and the movie itself does little more than take up time.

Boloxxxi A former soldier of the Boer war arrives in New Zealand (1903) for reasons unknown (vacation?). Shortly thereafter a British soldier is killed in a conflict with a Maori (native New Zealander) when the soldier and his drinking buddies discover the Maori with a white woman in a barn. The Maori at the time was on a break from a whaling ship on which he served as a harpooner. On learning of the killing, the commander of the soldiers quickly organizes a hunting party with a tracker. He also enlists the aid of the Boer guy that may or may not be on vacation to assist his tracker. There is a nice reward of 100 sovereigns for the Maori alive and 25 dead. This guy needs the money, folks. No other reason to help the British soldiers. And so off they go into the wild.This movie is a little over an hour and a half but feels like two. This is because of the time spent with dull tracking of quarry and dull conversations with quarry. Who doesn't like a good chase or hunt? But in order to have that you have to find what the hunter and hunted are doing interesting. So (1) you need to get a real sense of their cleverness or ingenuity in trying to capture and avoid capture. And (2) there has to be a heightening of suspense based on a closing of the gap between them and a real sense of their desperation or motivation to succeed as a result; --whatever the cost.But in this movie I never felt that (1) anyone was being particularly cunning. They did the standard things we've all seen before; broke a branch to make it look like this is where someone went and backtracked over tracks to misdirect. This might have been clever at one time but now it's standard practice even for morons. And (2) I felt the tracking or pursuit in this movie was too leisurely; with the pursuer acting like he was just out for a stroll and not hunting a dangerous killer and the pursued acting like he was playing a little game of hide and seek with an old friend and not in peril for his life. The relationship between these two men bordered on comedy which made me think that maybe the producers should have just said "F!!ck it!" and gone that route. Perhaps they intended --at least in part-- that the movie be a "character study" of the two men; learning what motivated them and who they were thru civil conversation. In other words: Even though I've got a rope around your neck that doesn't mean we can't share. Love, Boloxxxi.