Deceased 10 months ago, his masterpiece returns to the big screen
Summary
A father who hits, a mother who endures, a family on the brink of breaking. This is the portrait that shook New Zealand in 1994, and whose shockwave has never faded. On September 2nd, The Soul of Warriors returns to cinemas in a restored version.
The cult drama by Lee Tamahori, back on the big screen
The film in brief
- Re-release: September 2, 2026, restored version (The Jokers)
- Director: Lee Tamahori, his very first film
- Story: a Maori family from Auckland, New Zealand
- Awards: about twenty prizes, including Venice and Montreal 1994
- ⏱️ Format: 1h43, drama, restricted to under 16s
1994: the uppercut that shook a whole country
The Soul of Warriors tells the story of a Maori family from Auckland that is faltering. The Maori people are the indigenous people of New Zealand. Here, no superheroes or action scenes: just the raw life of a household, torn between precarity, alcohol, and violence.
The film hits hard because it feels real. Upon its release in 1994, it moved the New Zealand audience so much that viewers sought help after leaving the theater. A rare film: one that changes something beyond the screen.
Its most famous line sums it up alone. The father calmly demands his eggs from his wife. But everyone senses the threat behind it: obey him, or trigger his anger. In one everyday sentence, fear settles in. No need to shout to make a house tremble. It is this chilling tension that made the scene iconic.
“Make me some eggs.”
— Jake Heke, The Soul of Warriors
Temuera Morrison: the kind TV doctor turned terrifying giant
Before this role, Temuera Morrison was mostly known for a kind doctor character in a TV soap. Too smooth to play Jake Heke, the violent father in the film. So he spent weeks at the gym to bulk up and physically transform.
The result went beyond the film. Once in theaters, strangers actually challenged him on the street, convinced they had the character in front of them. The performance was so credible it stuck to him for months.
This role launched an international career. A few years later, Morrison joined the Star Wars universe as Jango Fett, then Boba Fett. But it all started here, in a kitchen and a role that scared a whole country.
Why should you see (or re-see) it in theaters?
If you’ve already seen it, you know: it’s a film that stays with you. Seeing it again on the big screen, in a restored version, means taking in all its power, the one a small screen crushes. The renewed image and sound restore the shock’s true size.
If you’ve never seen it, this is the perfect opportunity. No need to know anything to be hooked: the film takes you by the hand from the first scene and never lets go. A hard drama, yes, but carried by immense actors, starting with Rena Owen, heartbreaking as the mother.
And it’s not a dusty old film. Voted best New Zealand film of all time by a public poll in 2014, it marked its country like few works have. At Project X Paris, we don’t miss such an event. Don’t miss it.
Did you know?
No one believed in it at first: the project was judged too violent and too dark to find its audience. Lee Tamahori himself had initially refused to direct it. He made it the most important film in New Zealand cinema history.
A final echo for Tamahori: the re-release turned tribute
This re-release has a special flavor. Lee Tamahori passed away on November 7, 2025, at 75 years old. On September 2, his very first film returns to cinemas, just months after his departure.
The director then had a successful Hollywood career, even directing a James Bond. But it is this first attempt that remains his masterpiece, the one that triggered everything. The circle closes where it began.
Going to see The Soul of Warriors today is to salute the one who made it. A film that has lost none of its power. A shockwave that still crosses decades.
THE BLOW STRIKES AGAIN
Thirty-two years after the first impact, the shock still crosses the screen. Tamahori is no longer here to experience it with us, but his shockwave continues to spread. On September 2, it starts again. It’s up to you to take it full in the face.
#AMEDESGUERRIERS #ONCEWEREWARRIORS #LEETAMAHORI #CINEMA #RADARPXP