Recluse Smith is drawn into a revolutionary struggle between guerrillas and right-wingers in New Zealand. Implicated in a murder and framed as a revolutionary conspirator, Smith tries to maintain an attitude of non-violence while caught between warring factions.
Acting
Neill's passive everyman slowly cracking under pressure.
Production
DIY Kiwi filmmaking punching way above its budget.
Direction
Donaldson's claustrophobic framing of wide open spaces.
Director
Roger Donaldson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
First NZ film to get a US theatrical release, essentially launching the country's film industry.
Mirrors real 1951 waterfront dispute tensions; the 'dystopia' wasn't that fictional for Kiwi leftists.
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