Nat Williams I didn't think it was possible, but I finally watched a Ray Winstone movie that wasn't very good. "Tracker" has a fine premise and could have provided a valuable history lesson, as few Americans (myself included) have little knowledge of the Boer Wars. However, despite the gorgeous New Zealand scenery, the plot, direction and acting are fairly lame. Temuera Morrison, playing the native Maori being tracked, overacts to an embarrassing degree and even Winstone - one of my favorite non-American actors - seems to be doing little more than going through the motions. The plot is predictable, the dialog stilted and the movie itself does little more than take up time.

perkypops There are many things to like about this film. The cinematography is wonderful; the story is simple; the acting is creditable. But sadly, for me, it is let down by a very unconvincing relationship between the "tracker" and the "tracked", both of whom work hard to shift the balance but, in my opinion, do not ever do so.The plot is familiar. "Savage" in the form of a returning Maori (Morrison) kills soldier in apparent self defence and runs. He is tracked by van Diemen (Winstone) a Boer with his own fish to fry and some disturbed and disturbing British soldiers. There is a promising start to the chase, but, as the "game of cat and mouse" should hot up it seems to cool off, evaporate and lose its way.Perhaps it gets bogged down in detail about what the players are doing in New Zealand in the first case and why they are fighting their corners. Whatever it is that flaws the early promise the film unravels and we are left with a rather predictable ending, and anti-climax, and no real resolution to the "game".I am sure there are much better scripts than this to transfer into film. Indeed much better use could and should have been made of this script.Disappointing.

george-williams-1 I saw Tracker at a preview screening a few days back and wasn't sure what to expect - The idea of Ray Winstone attempting a South African Accent in particular made me nervous. And it does get off to a slowish start. But...As soon as the chase is underway the film really opens out. Moments of genuine threat, tension and some really quite crunchy violence are counterbalanced by a pervading air of melancholy - hunter and hunted have both lost everything - and an increasing dramatic weight to the story as they find common ground whilst engaged in a high risk game of cat and mouse.It's not the most psychologically complicated movie in the world, basically being a boys own action film, but it's made well, with obvious love and attention to detail plus two towering central performances from the leads. And it has a heart. By the time the film reached it's climax I was properly choked up and genuinely on the edge of my seat.And Ray did a good job with the accent after all.

Dharmendra Singh Archetypal Londoner, Ray Winstone plays Arjan Van Diemen, a staunchly anti-British character, who fought against the Brits in the Second Boer War. He's come to New Zealand to confront them for scorching his farm and murdering his family. Instead of receiving retribution or an apology, he is invited to track a Maori on the run for the (false) charge of killing a British soldier. The reward is 100 sovereigns alive, 25 dead. The casting director can't have had many names in the hat for the role of Kereama, so Kiwi Temuera Morrison seems stereotypical. But for a man who I still remember for T.V.'s 'Shortland Street', Morrison more than holds his own. Winstone's presence doesn't faze him. The plot ensures he is integral and not just a brown-skinned irrelevance, and he demonstrates an impressive Maori lexicon to prove it. It's not a natural pairing, but they have unmistakable chemistry. Both are educated, worldly and principled. They have a mutual respect. Winstone's rotund frame (he's a Boer, but looks more like a bear) suits his weathered character in a way that it hasn't in his recent tough-guy roles. To track Kereama he has to be agile, self-sufficient and able to summon his skills as a South African bushman. He shows in a gritty, punch-up that he still has the moves. And he pulls off a convincing accent. What stood out for me was New Zealand. Cinema has scarcely photographed a more magnificent land. The mountain ranges, woodlands, lakes and rivers are a pleasure to behold. You can watch 'Tracker' just for the scenery; it really is that attractive. What spoiled it was the constant to-ing and fro-ing. Van Diemen loses Kereama every time he catches him, though their constant reintroductions allow them to size each other up a bit more. Kereama expostulates 'We both hate the British'. 'I don't hate the British', Van Diemen defies, 'I hated my God, for a time'. I didn't understand why Van Diemen accepts the task. Money can't be his motivation because that would undermine his case for what the British did to him. Winstone's passion didn't come through for me, and Morrison's sudden embracing of Maori customs and incantations, including a flaccid enactment of the Haka while on the run seemed forced.There's some fun action, however, set against beautiful, sweeping vistas, but ultimately I wasn't moved enough to believe in the characters or their motivations. www.scottishreview.net