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I remember seeing this film when it aired on TV in New Zealand. I was staying in a backpackers lodge and to my horror Jake the Muss drove his car down my street! I had to pinch myself, before I realised that I was in fact staying in one of the locations used in the film. For a moment I thought it was a security camera I was viewing outside! From what I remember the film doesn't carry the impact of Once Were Warriors, which people still mention here in London when I tell them I'm from New Zealand. None of them however have even heard of this sequel, which I think says it all. It wasn't a bad film, but definitely requires seeing the original for it to have any meaning.

(Some people have been confused by the film's title. It is in fact a lyric from a song which was very popular in New Zealand when I was a kid in the 80's. As the film picks up from the characters shattered lives in the first feature, it is quite appropriate. So just what become of the broken hearted? Watch the film and find out).

One thing that was inevitable about this film -- it was never going to be able to have anywhere near the impact of what it is the sequel for -- Once Were Warriors.

This isn't bad, but at the same time it's not great. Morrison resurrects Jake Heke, who is now fighting to save his son from a gang lifestyle after another of his sons is killed in a gangland shootout.

An excellent performance in a supporting role from Rawiri Paratene is probably the highlight of this tale, but I must admit that, by the end, I was beginning to recall again just how much writer Alan Duff gets on my nerves.

I was impressed when I first saw this film. Once Were Warriors gave us here in Aotearoa (New Zealand) a new perspective into some of our peoples lifestyles. However it was a bitter pill, the violence overwhelming at times.

In this the second film, the main character Jake 'the muscles' Heke confronts his own demons and fights to reclaim his whanau (family). This film was a welcome addition for me, while it tied up all the lose ends a little too tidily I was grateful to see Jake's transition.

This contained very little of the originals dynamic appeal and will certainly not hold the appeal of the first to the people who actually enjoyed the violence in Once Were Warriors. For those of us who cared about the characters and hoped for their salvation this film is a must see.

It's impossible to consider What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? without remembering, its predecessor Once Were Warriors.

I remember two separate women weeping, slumped in their cinema seats for minutes, after the conclusion of the harrowing Once Were Warriors; a movie that depicted the terror of domestic violence.

I remember some Maori friends telling me that on the contrary, they laughed during Warriors because the film was so much like home in New Zealand. That's a sobering revelation. I suppose that laughter can sometimes be a healing force.

Recently the writer of both of these films, Alan Duff, explained on ABC radio that he wasn't a pariah with the Maori community in New Zealand as had been claimed by some in the media. He explained that anyway if there had been Maoris after him, he'd "be dead meat by now." A statement that perhaps accentuates the veracity of the source material.

Once Were Warriors was literally a stunning film and was centered about Beth, Jake's wife (Rena Owen) as she tries to deal with her violent husband. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? moves a few years on.

Beth has left Jake and one of their sons Nig has become a member of an Auckland gang. He dies in a fight and his brother Sonny (Clint Ereura) teams up with Nig's former girlfriend Tania (Nancy Brunning) to get revenge.

Jake meanwhile is tying to come to terms with his violence. He's lost his daughter and one of his sons and has become estranged from his wife and remaining son. Something seems to be wrong but Jake has trouble controlling his temper.

Temuera Morrison was awesome as Jake in Warriors and again he's fascinating in What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?.

However What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? isn't in the same class as Warriors. It's much better than the average gang, action movie but has far too much shallowness, too many stolid, severe looks, and far too little real involvement with the characters to rate in the same class as the first in the series.

There are some high (low) points in What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? though. Jake breaks loose at one stage in his girlfriend's house. It's a portrayal of senseless, out of control, drunken violence that is memorable and unfortunately common in real life.

And then there's Tania when she begins singing in a record store; a scene that somehow moves beyond the ridiculous firmly into the charming. And Jake whacking those bikies heads in with spanners is pretty strong.

Temuera Morrison does hurtle us strongly into Jake's world. I hope there haven't been too many Jakes in your neighborhood.

I've seen "Once Were Warriors" and must say I found myself quite taken by it. So it was a day of much rejoicence, when I found out, that a sequel had been made. I bought it, and have just seen it. And.

There's a certain nostalgic feel, to seeing Jake the Muss and co. again. As they are very interesting characters, I was naturally interested in seeing how they were doing. And I was happy for Jake, when I found out that maybe he was finally realizing his responsobility. It's good to see someone mending.

But what's with the title, ehh?? Can you tell me that?!? A title like "What becomes of the Broken Hearted?" makes me all soft inside of that dark, sinister evilminded spirit of mine (Took that last bit a little to far, didn't I?). But there's absolutely no answer to that question, as the film shifts from drama to action-movie featuring Jake the Muss, Snake-gangs and some bold guy with a lot of freakin' tattoos! It's not really fun to watch. It doesn't say much about anything or anyone, and it offers no answer to that question it raises. It just ends for no reason what so ever.

There's some dad-son stuff. Some repending. A little bit of anger, hate, love-stuff, but we've seen that stuff before, haven't we folks?

I'll give this one 7, becuase I'm just a sentimental, softhearted (rich, goodlooking (You never know what kinda chicks might read this stuff) kinda guy. If you haven't seen "Once Were Warriors" you're going to hate this one for sure.

Temuera Morrison shows he can act when his character is allowed to develop and actually think convincingly. Bravo for a movie that allows its characters lines such as "gangs are not all they are cracked up to be" when an attempt to arrange a hit is deflated. After the visceral and deeply disturbing violence of Once were Warriors this followup is thoughtful and perceptive. I particularly liked the happy party scene near the end where hard man Jake actually has a good time without losing his cool and can't quite believe it himself. Positive images and a growing sense of maturity from an assured production.

This is one of the biggest movie disappointments that I have ever experienced. I knew, before I went to the cinema, that "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" would be a very different film from the masterpiece "Once Were Warriors". What I didn't know though, was that they would take the characters from the first movie and put them into some sort of an action film. To be honest, this film is not very good. I hate to say that, but there was not a single powerful scene in this film whereas in "Once Were Warriors" there were so many powerful scenes that I could hardly breathe after I saw it the first time. "What Happens…" is sadly like any of the hundreds of the revenge films we've seen before. It adds nothing new to the concept except for maybe *some* depth. And why is the first half hour so episodic? The director/editor hardly stays with a scene for more than a minute, often less. That was really bad.

It's not all bad though, there are a few scenes which are actually rather funny and Temuera Morrison is absolutely exceptional. (4/10)

Jake Goes Straight!

This sequel to "Once Were Warriors" attempts to do for Jake Heke what "Hannibal" attempted to do for the eponymous cannibal: turn him into a hero. In both cases, the very idea is ludicrous because the original characters were either so despicable or so purely evil (and were intended to be so).

"What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" begins by portraying the reform of Jake--his learning to control his explosively violent temper and helping his son Sonny control his. But themes such as the passing down of abusive behavior from one generation to the next are touched on and then abandoned midway in favor of the safe, predictable format of a rescue-and-revenge flick. The second half is Jake's redemption through his efforts to save Sonny (from himself and the mess he gets himself into), and the idea of a former wife-beater using violence to redeem himself (but it's for his son!) is a bothersome contradiction.

This movie also has a completely different feel than OWW. Some staging verges on the amateurish--a gang rave looks more like a high school dance--and Jake's world is depicted as almost suburban, complete with strip-mall bars and a girlfriend ensconced in a picket-fenced house. (Gone is the gritty, insular world in which Jake seemed a product of his environment.) In a sense, this highlights his out-of-placeness but is underdeveloped as a theme and ultimately lessens the film's impact.

But that does not mean that "What Becomes" lacks its strong points. Temuera Morrison is intense, and many other characters turn in solid performances, particularly Rawiri Paratene, perfectly cast in the role of Mulla.

The creators (and bankrollers) of "What Becomes. . ." no doubt realized that even moviegoers riveted by the unflinching reality of OWW could not stomach another 90 minutes of the same brutality, and so sought to make Jake into a more palatable franchise... er, character. A reincarnation of the character of Jake (played, of course, by Temuera) would be perfect for the type of basic action-drama that this film is at heart.

On its own, this is a solid, appealing film but ultimately cannot escape the shadow of its gut-wrenching predecessor. OWW deserved a more-serious sequel, and a sense of guilt nags the viewer who attempts to root for this film's version of Jake the Muss. Nevertheless, the film can be enjoyed on its own by forgetting--at least for 90 minutes--the character's well-deserved infamy.

They really should have stopped with the original story of Once Were Warriors. Beyond this, the story didn't need to continue. Instead- they try to find some redemption in the protagonist Jake, a pretty despicable character from the first installment trying to make amends and atone.

Certainly, we all deserve the chance at redemption. But still: It could have been executed a lot more believably and without cliché. The story is a touch derivative and lacks any nuance. The acting around the lead actor is predictable and mediocre. I would only watch this if you felt you needed "something more" after Once Were Warriors.

This movie is the sequel to Once Were Warriors. Just to recap - OWW is a story about an enslaved,(modern) Maori family to the white man's drink and the gut wrenching abuse that comes along with it. As the movie starts out, husband/father - Jake Heke appears to be this gorgeous creature until he's wearing his wife on his fist a half an hour into the movie. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? shows an update after a series of bloody events. Only this time the sequence of bloody events (caused by Jake Heke again) is for a good cause. He's not beating up family members, he's beating up others FOR his family members and he redeems himself by doing so. Great story for a dysfunctional family. Hey, good news you're not the only ones! Recommended for the curious who want to find out what happens to this broken hearted family after they leave husband/father Jake Heke in OWW.

This was the much awaited follow up to 'Once Were Warriors' but it hardly gained any publicity around its release. Whilst being a shade under the original, there are still some very intense scenes. The sequel just lacked the raw energy of his previously created character, of 'Jake the Muss' but if you are a fan of the first, it's indeed a very interesting watch (with an exciting climax). Really love the hunting scene which fleshes out Jake's persona and would surely watch a third episode (if one was ever made). The final bonding is quite moving.

A great movie. It's not a nice movie, but it's well made and interesting, exciting and scary. A look into the small, poverty-stricken, gang-ruled part of New Zealand. Jake the muss is paying for his 'crimes' and learns what life is really all about. Exciting, scary fight scenes; beautifully made, passionate love scenes; - this movie has it all. Great acting by Temuera Morrison (Speed 2, Barbed Wire, 6 days 7 nights, Once were Warriors, Shortland street), Nancy Brunning (Shortland Street), and Rena Owen (Grease: the Arena Spectacular, Once were Warriors). A powerful, emotional movie - see it. Definately compares to it's prequel.

The 1999 sequel to 1995's Once Were Warriors about the domestic drama revolving a Maori family in New Zealand. Taking place a few years after the events of the first film we find the patriarch, Temuera Morrison, still besotted at his local watering hole when word comes down his eldest, Julian Arahanga (reprising his role but wasted here!) is killed during a gang hit. Already on the outs w/his family (his wife, Rena Owen, also wasted, has divorced him), he decides to not attend the funeral where another of his sons vows revenge & joins a rival gang to find out what happened. Morrison meanwhile, still nursing his old demons, has hit his occasional girlfriend & is tossed to the proverbial curb but a pair of clean living brothers take him under his wing (& give him a job) so when his son shows up, he decides to help. Based on a novel by Alan Duff (much like the predecessor), here Duff does scripting duties which do the story no favors (an author wants to get every nook & cranny into his story as he can) as Morrison's road to redemption takes a backseat to his son's story-line which smacks of an A-Team episode making whatever strides Morrison makes get lost in translation.

Anyone expecting this film to be Once Were Warriors 2: The Continuing Misadventures of Jake the Muss will be disappointed. It stands as a great drama in its own right, and as a follow up to Once Were Warriors.

I think the reason it has come under heavy critical fire is because people were expecting it to be more of a sequel than a follow up, and were also expecting a similar emotional experience to Warriors, which is entirely different in this movie.

While Warriors wrenched your emotions back and forth, Broken Hearted barely has a scene without tension and sadness. There is no room to breath in this film, not even at the final reel, when we are suddenly confronted with the credits. A great film, and a great experience.

After seeing once we were warriors I was a little Uncomfortable and the film was very 90's with its views and language. Domestic violence was a major factor in the film and it was very overpowering.

This film is much better plot wise and for the first time we actually feel empathy towards jake and that he is a real person. Much more enjoyable and really enjoyed the character of 'Gloria'...

This film was so unnecessary. It tries to pick up where its brilliant predecessor Once Were Warriors left off and falls flat on its face. Just an excuse to watch the despicable protagonist attempt to redeem himself. I had closure with the ending for the first film - didn't need this one!