{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2025}} {{Short description|2023 drama film by Lee Tamahori}} {{about||the episode of ''The Mandalorian''|Chapter 19: The Convert|other uses|Convert (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox film | image = The Convert 2024 film poster.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Lee Tamahori | producer = {{plainlist| * Robin Scholes * Te Kohe Tuhaka * Andrew Mason * Troy Lum }} | screenplay = {{plainlist| * Shane Danielsen * Lee Tamahori }} | story = Michael Bennett | based_on = {{Based on|''Wulf''|Hamish Clayton}} | starring = {{plainlist| * Guy Pearce * Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne * Antonio Te Maioha * Jacqueline McKenzie * Lawrence Makoare }} | music = Matteo Zingales | cinematography = Gin Loane | editing = Luke Haigh | studio = {{plainlist| * Jump Film & Television * Brouhaha Entertainment }} | distributor = {{plainlist| * Kismet Movies (Australia and New Zealand) * Vertigo Releasing (United Kingdom)<ref name="BBFC">{{Cite web |last= |title=The Convert |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-convert-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi0mju4 |access-date=3 February 2025 |website=British Board of Film Classification |language=en}}</ref> }} | released = {{Film date|2023|09|7|TIFF|2024|03|14|New Zealand|2024|06|20|Australia|df=y}} | runtime = 119 minutes<ref name="BBFC" /> | country = {{plainlist| * Australia * New Zealand * United Kingdom }} | language = {{ubl|English|Māori}} | budget = | gross = $689,814<ref name="BOM">{{Cite Box Office Mojo |title=The Convert (2023) |id=20113412 |access-date=2 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="TN">{{Cite The Numbers |id=Convert-The-(2024-United-Kingdom) |title=The Convert (2024) |access-date=2 August 2024}}</ref> }}
'''''The Convert''''' is a 2023 historical drama film directed by Lee Tamahori, and starring Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne and Te Kohe Tuhaka. The script for the film was written by Tamahori and Shane Danielsen from a story by Michael Bennett based on the 2011 novel ''Wulf'' by Hamish Clayton. It is an international co-production between New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.<ref name="TN"/>
''The Convert'' premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2023. The film was released in New Zealand on 14 March 2024 and in Australia on 20 June 2024.<ref name="TN"/> It was also Tamahori's final film before his death on November 7, 2025.
==Plot== In 1830, Thomas Munro, a lay minister from Britain, arrives in New Zealand on a storm-stricken ship and, during a clash between two Māori tribes, intercedes on behalf of Rangimai, a young daughter of Maianui, the chieftain (rangatira) of the one tribe, to save her from being killed by the warriors of Akatarewa, rangatira of the other tribe, trading his horse with Akatarewa in return for her life. Having been delivered to a British settlement called Epworth, where Munro is to perform missionary work, he becomes Rangimai's religion tutor in Christianity.
Although the settlers live on the land of Maianui's tribe under agreement with the tribe, Rangimai and Pahirua, a young Māori warrior left by Maianui with Rangimai for his daughter's protection and to assist her in religious studies, face discrimination and prejudice from the rest of the settlement. Pahirua is surreptitiously murdered and Munro refuses to report to Maianui the cover story made by the settlers. He advises Maianui however to raise the rent the people of Epworth pay to his tribe, instead of taking any punitive action against the settlers; he then teaches the Māori warriors a faster way of loading a flintlock musket. In the tribe's wharenui at a gathering of the elders, Munro tells them about his past as a soldier in the British Army, a charge which he led against what was believed to be an enemy stronghold which turned into a massacre of innocent women and children in a school, and about his subsequent spiritual quest for redemption for his actions.
In an attempt to negotiate reconciliation between the two tribes, Munro sails to Akatarewa's land in the same British ship that brought him to New Zealand. Akatarewa rejects Munro's peace overtures and his warriors capture the ship, with a consignment of muskets onboard, in order to use the ship's artillery in a decisive clash with Maianui's tribe. Munro joins in that final battle on Maianui's side, whose warriors defeat Akatarewa's tribe. Maianui executes Akatarewa; in order to achieve lasting peace between their tribes, Rangimai agrees to marry Akatarewa's son, whose life Maianui has spared.
Four years later, Munro, with a tā moko on his face, acts as a counsellor to the combined Māori tribe in their negotiations with a British delegation seeking to establish a Customs & Excise post at Epworth.
==Cast== * Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro * Te Kohe Tuhaka * Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne as Rangimai * Antonio Te Maioha as Maianui * Jacqueline McKenzie as Charlotte * Lawrence Makoare as Akatarewa * Dean O'Gorman as Kedgley * Madeleine McCarthy as Bethany * Duane Evans Jr. as Pahirua
==Production== A joint production between Auckland-based Jump Film & Television and Australia's Brouhaha Entertainment from Sydney, the film was produced by Robin Scholes, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Andrew Mason and Troy Lum; with Bradford Haami serving as its executive producer and Ngamaru Raerino acting as a Māori cultural consultant.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Scott|last=Roxborough|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/cannes-2022-guy-pearce-te-kohe-tuhaka-lee-tamahori-new-zealand-action-the-convert-1235141868|work=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=21 March 2023|title= Cannes: Guy Pearce, Te Kohe Tuhaka to Star in Lee Tamahori Actioner 'The Convert'|date=6 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802004957/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/cannes-2022-guy-pearce-te-kohe-tuhaka-lee-tamahori-new-zealand-action-the-convert-1235141868|archive-date=2 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Newshub 16 Mar 2024">{{cite news |last1=Rodger |first1=Kate |title=Lee Tamahori goes back to 1830s Aotearoa for new film The Convert |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2024/03/lee-tamahori-goes-back-to-1830s-aotearoa-for-new-film-the-convert.html |access-date=8 July 2024 |work=Newshub |date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410200953/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2024/03/lee-tamahori-goes-back-to-1830s-aotearoa-for-new-film-the-convert.html |archive-date=10 April 2024}}</ref>
Principal photography commenced in September 2022 on the North Island.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Melissa|last=Kasule|title= Guy Pearce to star in Lee Tamahori's 'The Convert' for Mister Smith Entertainment|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/guy-pearce-to-star-in-lee-tamahoris-the-convert-for-mister-smith-entertainment/5170189.article|website=Screen Daily|accessdate=21 March 2023|date=6 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321143425/https://www.screendaily.com/news/guy-pearce-to-star-in-lee-tamahoris-the-convert-for-mister-smith-entertainment/5170189.article|archive-date=21 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Filming locations included West Auckland beaches, Studio West, and other locations around the Auckland and Northland regions.<ref name="OurStory">{{cite web|url=https://www.studiowest.co.nz/our-story |title=Our Story |publisher=Studio West |access-date=29 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509215323/https://www.studiowest.co.nz/our-story|archive-date=9 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/disgraced-film-heavyweight-employed-with-female-assault-victim-on-nz-directors-swansong|title= Disgraced film heavyweight hired for renowned NZ director's 'swansong'|first=Tom|last=Dillane|work=Newstalk ZB|accessdate=21 March 2023|date=8 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321145001/https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/disgraced-film-heavyweight-employed-with-female-assault-victim-on-nz-directors-swansong/|archive-date=21 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Ricardo|last=Simich|title= Spy: Guy Pearce is preaching in Aotearoa|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/spy-guy-pearce-is-preaching-in-aotearoa/YQCBWYXBK4TA2NBN6UTAWSVEPE/|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=17 September 2022|accessdate=21 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906045848/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/spy-guy-pearce-is-preaching-in-aotearoa/YQCBWYXBK4TA2NBN6UTAWSVEPE/|archive-date=6 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Filming was reported to have wrapped by November 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Ricardo|last=Simich|title=Spy: Kiwis actors to watch globally|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/spy-kiwis-actors-to-watch-globally/QFOEQA2SWZBZJCKZ7PTFVI4PXI/|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=12 November 2022|accessdate=21 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906045847/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/spy-kiwis-actors-to-watch-globally/QFOEQA2SWZBZJCKZ7PTFVI4PXI/|archive-date=6 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
Funding for the film came from the New Zealand Film Commission and the New Zealand Premium Production Fund, with the British distribution company Mister Smith Entertainment handling the sales of the film worldwide, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky's London-based production company MBK Productions presenting it.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Max|last=Goldbart|url= https://deadline.com/2022/05/guy-pearce-to-lead-lee-tamahori-epic-action-adventure-the-convert-cannes-market-1235017898|access-date=21 March 2023|title= Guy Pearce To Lead Lee Tamahori Epic Action Adventure 'The Convert' – Cannes Market|date=6 May 2022|website=Deadline Hollywood|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608131325/https://deadline.com/2022/05/guy-pearce-to-lead-lee-tamahori-epic-action-adventure-the-convert-cannes-market-1235017898|archive-date=8 June 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MBK Productions - Our Films - In production|url=https://mbkproductions.co.uk/#films |access-date=27 July 2024}}</ref>
==Release== ''The Convert'' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=24 July 2023 |title=TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders ''Dumb Money'', ''The Holdovers'', ''Rustin''; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More |url=https://deadline.com/2023/07/2023-toronto-film-festival-lineup-movies-list-1235446040/ |access-date=24 July 2023}}</ref>
The film was released in New Zealand cinemas on 14 March 2024, followed by a release in Australia on 20 June 2024.<ref name="TN"/>
==Reception== ===Box office=== {{As of|2024|July|31}}, ''The Convert'' grossed $350,877 in New Zealand (from 109 cinemas) and $268,249 in Australia (97 cinemas).<ref name="TN"/> Limited theatrical release in the United States and Canada generated $5,263 from 20 cinemas.<ref name="BOM"/> In Russia, the revenue from screening the film in 267 cinemas was $68,942.<ref name="BOM"/>
===Critical response=== {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|82|6.5|17|consensus=|access-date=27 July 2024|ref=y}} {{Metacritic film prose|65|12|ref=yes|access-date=27 July 2024}}
''The Post'''s Graeme Tuckett gave ''The Convert'' a mixed review, praising the film's screenplay, cinematography and the performances of the cast members, but finding the middle part of the story to be "muddled and unnecessary."<ref name="Tuckett review">{{cite news |last1=Tuckett |first1=Graeme |title=The Convert: Lee Tamahori's latest is very much a film of two halves |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/350208403/convert-lee-tamahoris-latest-very-much-film-two-halves |access-date=15 March 2024 |website=Stuff |date=12 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315001043/https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/350208403/convert-lee-tamahoris-latest-very-much-film-two-halves|archive-date=15 March 2024|url-status=live}}{{rating|3.5|5}}</ref>
''The Spinoff''{{'s}} Tommy de Silva gave a sympathetic review, praising the film for its acting, well-choreographed fight scenes, integration of the Māori language and authentic depiction of 1830s New Zealand society. Although criticising some minor historical inaccuracies around the depictions of Wharenui (Māori communal meeting houses) and stereotypical portrayal of Māori characters as violent, vengeful cannibals and Pakeha characters as "greedy, money-obsessed and power-hungry", he summarised his review of the film: "It may not be perfect, but it’s worth a watch... Capturing a chapter from [New Zealand's] past rarely before seen in local popular culture makes ''The Convert'' a must-see for both period-piece purists and New Zealand history nerds alike."<ref>{{cite news |last1=de Silva |first1=Tommy |title=Review: The Convert is a must-watch for local history nerds |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-03-2024/review-the-convert-is-a-must-watch-for-local-history-nerds |access-date=27 June 2024 |work=The Spinoff |date=21 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627045123/https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/21-03-2024/review-the-convert-is-a-must-watch-for-local-history-nerds |archive-date=27 June 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> For Film International, M. Sellers Johnson also sympathizes with the film, sharing that it "stands as one of his [Tamahori’s] best films—a return to Aotearoa where he first began with his auspicious debut."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmint.nu/selections-from-the-48th-annual-toronto-international-film-festival-m-sellers-johnson/|title=Insurgent Stories, Global Voices: Featured Female Filmmakers of Sundance 2025|first=M.Sellers|last=Johnson|website=Film International|date= 4 October 2023|access-date= 6 September 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title}}
{{Lee Tamahori}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Convert, The}} Category:2023 films Category:2023 New Zealand films Category:Australian historical films Category:Films shot in New Zealand Category:Films set in New Zealand Category:Films set in 1830 Category:Films set in the 1830s Category:New Zealand historical films Category:Films directed by Lee Tamahori Category:2023 Australian films