No country’s film industry could dramatise the events of the 2007 New Zealand police raids with as much effectiveness as New Zealand. Its native industry does realism like no one else. The mix of earthy acting and location shooting always delivers films that are quintessentially believable and impactful.
The police raids of 2007 were an overreach by the then government in an effort to address domestic terrorism. The series of raids that took place nationwide were an abject failure and accomplished little. Those events make up the backdrop for Muru.
The hero of the film is local Police Sergeant ‘Taffy’ Tawharau played with understated effectiveness by Cliff Curtis. He is a man of the law but also a man with deep roots in his community. His efforts to ease the madness unfolding around him drive the plot line. It also anchors events to a human perspective.
Muru illustrates how there is always more than one way of perceiving events from both the perpetrators as well as the victims. During the film, the action ramps up but the real impact is felt by the human emotions on display. Few country’s film industry could deliver such an engrossing take on a horrible event.
Rob Hudson
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