Once Were Warriors

Winner of over 15 film festival awards, this deeply disturbing New Zealand film about an alcoholic and abusive husband and father who tears his family apart is not a pleasant film to watch, but it is-in a horrifying way-compelling. Especially since the domestic abuse issue is only a part of the film's larger concern: the portrait of a culture coming apart at the seams.DVD Review--September 9, 2003--New Line, 102 min., R, $19.98--Lee Tamahori's excellent 1995 film debuts on DVD sporting a gorgeous, color-saturated transfer, room-encompassing Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and a handful of solid extras: a good commentary track by Tamahori, an original seven-minute "making of," and a two-minute tattoo gallery. Bottom line: one of 1995's best makes its long-awaited debut on DVD. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Sept. 6, 2016—Film Movement, 102 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1994's Once Were Warriors features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (12 min.), trailers, and a booklet featuring a new essay by cinema expert Peter Calder. Bottom line: a contemporary classic New Zealand drama makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]