by Alex Billington
June 4, 2024
Source: YouTube
"Only blood redeems blood. Magnolia Pictures has debuted the US trailer for a film called The Convert from New Zealand, made by Kiwi filmmaker Lee Tamahori. He used to make big Hollywood action movies for years, then went back to New Zealand to make more intimate dramas about his homeland - I loved his last one The Patriarch from 2016. Tamahori’s new action-filled historical epic stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the center of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes. 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 Maori tribes. In addition to Pearce, this also stars Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne as Rangimai, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Lawrence Makoare. This looks legit and entertaining, despite hearing absolutely no buzz about it after its premiere at TIFF last year.
Here's the official US trailer (+ two posters) for Lee Tamahori's film The Convert, direct from YouTube:
Lee Tamahori’s action-filled historical epic stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the centre of a long-standing battle between Māori tribes. The Convert is directed by acclaimed New Zealand filmmaker Lee Tamahori, director of many films including Once Were Warriors, Mulholland Falls, The Edge, Along Came a Spider, Die Another Day, xXx: State of the Union, Next, The Devil's Double, and The Patriarch previously, plus an episode of "Billions". The screenplay is co-written by Michael Bennett, Shane Danielsen, and Lee Tamahori. Produced by Troy Lum, Andrew Mason, Robin Scholes, and Te Kohe Tuhaka. This initially premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last year. Magnolia Pictures will debut Tamahori's The Convert film in select US theaters + on VOD starting on July 12th, 2024 this summer. For more details, visit the film's official site.