The picture begins in medias res, with some sort of tribal conflict going on among the Maoris. Some of them are evidently allied with the British. A lance corporal Maori named Te Weheke finds that a relative has been killed by the British, and for some reason swears eternal vengeance (or 'utu'). He has his face tattooed and leads his ragtag guerrilla army through the woods and brush. At no point is he likable.<br /><br />Even in the most brutal of American westerns, the Indians were given a shred of understanding. Not so with the Maoris here. They are just mean and impulsive savages with no motivation other than the joy of killing. One comes away from this film wondering why these monsters weren't simply wiped out, instead of being coddled and treated as pets. And what were they doing in the local constabulary, anyway? A bit more background to the Maori situation, and to the motivation of Te Weheke's suicidal campaign against the British and colonists, would have helped make this a clearer story.<br /><br />**IMDb deleted the original version of this review, essentially the same, and wrote:(This review was deleted by IMDb based on an abuse report filed by another user) from which we must assume that the troublemaker didn't bother to read the full review. We would appreciate information leading to the apprehension of this culprit.**