Director: Ian Sharp, (3.5/5)
As I sat through a barrage of historical drama trailers, I began to wonder whether Tracker would rise to deliver a captivating and original piece of film fit for Aotearoa’s growing list of classics. Or would it fall into a formulaic category like so many other films of its kind? Maybe the movie was destined to hover somewhere between my two rigid projections in a sort of “oh yeah” limbo.
It’s early 1900s New Zealand; the plans for the Panama Canal are going ahead, the Soviet seeds of Communism have been sewn and the British are flexing their colonial muscles around the globe. The story begins with Arjun Van Diemen, a hardened ex-Boer soldier, who chooses to emigrate from South Africa in search of greater prospects in New Zealand. Arjun finds himself caught up in tracking a bounty, Kereama, wrongly accused of murdering a British soldier.
The film begins on shaky ground with a fragmented set of scenes in some undefined port settlement. Perhaps it was the Anglo-Kiwi accent but the script seemed awkward and the sets felt threadbare. But when the hunt is on for Kereama, things pick up. The scene-scape and cinematography begin to impress as the two characters plunge headfirst in to the wilderness. A welcome respite breaks up the adrenaline when Kereama, in a Man-vs-Wild-meets-Masterchef feat, catches and smokes an eel. Bear Grylls take note. An uncanny Van Diemen continues to find clues and scrutinise the trail ahead and, as the tiring soundtrack languishes, the two characters come face to face. A riveting struggle for control plays out, and while both remaining completely aware of their own plights, they sympathise with the other’s adversities.
You can’t help but admire the effort put into shooting this film, pushing cinema deep into inhospitable environments. Despite some perplexing moments, the plot remains simple and effective until the “aww snap” ending. An alluring casting duo with Temuera Morrison and Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) remained strongly convincing through most of the story. And now for some “couldn’t be more off the mark” ODT bollocks: “[Winstone] played a character not dissimilar to Morrison's in Once Were Warriors”.
Tracker
