Very good film with interesting as well as attractive plot , nice acting and exceptional , colorful cinematography shot on location and it has the feel of a great epic fable . It begins with a real sense of wonder and intrigue when we become involved into a lush world with full of vegetation , rivers , mountains and dangers . An intimate and affectionate story set during the 1860s in which a young Irish woman called Sarah O'Brien and her family : father (Stephen Rea) , brother (Kiefer Sutherland) and son (Rawiri Pene) find themselves on both sides of the thunderous wars between British and Maori during the British colonization of New Zealand. A Maori village has so far been spared from the encroachment , but the villagers fear the imminent enemy arrival and subsequently seeking to defend themselves . Eventually , the Maori group will face the ultimate battle against the nasty colonialists . With darkness all around, only the heart can see ! . A kidnapped son ! . A nation at war ! . An epic journey !.
Gripping and evocative film about New Zeland's turbulent wars and full of enjoyable scenes when a group of natives from the wild emerge in a brutal battle against the white invaders who are causing ravage , massacre , destruction and high body-count . It is a genuine as well as imaginative tale written and directed with great sensibility , clarity , fairness and brutality too . This engrossing picture contains powerful and haunting images , it's plenty of images that stay in the mind . Main and support cast are pretty good , giving decent acting , such as : Samantha Morton as starring Sarah O'Brien , Kiefer Sutherland , Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison , Anton Lesser and Stephen Rea. The interesting perspective is intimate and it lends a great deal of excitement to the movie experience . Beautiful scenery , tense , intriguing and a moving climax lift this story . There's something for everyone here ; fans of history , fans of adventure , fans of gorgeous landscapes should all find something to enjoy about this film .
Wonderfully directed , and it is all strongest for being brilliantly photographed in splendid panoramic screen and boasting colorful imagines , excellently shot by cameraman Alun Bollinger , filmed on location in New Zealand : Rangitikei River, Ruatiti Domain,Manganuioteao River, Pipiriki, Wanganui River, Manganuioteao River, Wanganui River, Manawatu-Wanganui, Waimarino, North Island, Patea Bay, Patea, Manawatu-Wanganui and Wellington . Adding a sensitive , stirring musical score by composer Karl Jenkins , including native and folkloric sounds . The motion picture was stunningly written and directed by Vincent Ward , though on a limited budget . Ward's first big hit was ¨Navigator¨(1988) , It's a masterpiece who made his major impact gaining international acclaim, that was the movie what convinced the producers of Alien 3 (1992) to hire Vincent Ward as writer/director , although Ward would eventually leave the set of Alien 3 after many creative differences with the studio . Vincent Ward's won several prizes in a lot of Festivals such as Australian Film Institute , Cannes Film Festival , Fantasporto and Sitges Catalonian Film Festival . The great filmmaker Vincent Ward has produced , executive produced and/or written and directed feature films including ¨What Dreams May Come¨ , ¨The River Queen¨ and ¨The Last Samurai¨ , developing the underlying material , as he chose the director , before acting as an executive producer on this film . Ward's films have earned critical acclaim and festival attention whilst achieving a wide , eclectic audience, such as ¨Vigil¨ (1984), and ¨Map of the Human Heart¨ (1993) . ¨This River Queen¨ (2005) along with ¨The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey¨ (1988) are considered his best films . ¨River Queen¨ (2005) rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Above average but is deemed by many to be the Vincent Ward's best .
