At its heart, the cause and effect that traps and herds people into the margins of society where the rules of survival are warped back to hunter over gatherer times, peripheries the vast majority of populations are thankful to avoid and turn a blind eye to, ignorant that the marginalised are a product of our inhumane made false ecology. These are incarcerated people living perpetually imprisoned lives with opportunity locked, barred and barriered from them. A powerful piece of cinema that doesn't shy way from acknowledging the damage that can be caused to an individual when paternal, societal, and endemic neglect is allowed to culture. A culture that still permeates today, not just in the warrior lands.
43 Reviews
An entertaining story about gang life growing up in New Zealand
impeyrules-546347 January 2020
Good story about the harshness of growing up in a gang. A little explored world of growing up in a gang in New Zealand. Entertaining film througout. I thought the film could have had more central plot and developed the characters more.
brutal realism
jcowleymanx15 September 2020
Not the ideal son-in-law you wish for.
deloudelouvain10 January 2022
Savage isn't a movie for everybody. But for some people it will be recognizable, maybe not everything but certain passages are gripping. Child abuse, violent parenthood, going down the wrong path to escape harsh reality, and of course finding the wrong crew to hang out with which is sometimes the only place you find likeminded people. I found the whole movie well made, a bit violent at times, but that's the gang life we all think about. Good acting from the whole cast also. Jake Ryan, as Damage, did a great job playing his abused character. It's not all violence, sometimes it's about compassion and forgiveness, sometimes it's emotional if you give the story a chance to unfold.
Worth A Watch
JakeRfilmfreak10 January 2023
It's a decent film that gets you into it right from the very start. I like a movie that gets you to know the characters right away. I enjoyed how it started in present time 1989 and went back to tell how he got where he is.
Some films try to hard and others don't try hard enough. But this one seems to fall right in the middle, which is good. The main character Damage was well portrayed by (Jake Ryan) a man confused about who he has become verses who he wants to be.
A good gang movie not without its flaws. But in the end all movies have them in my opinion. You won't be sorry you wasted your hour and thirty nine minutes on this.
Some films try to hard and others don't try hard enough. But this one seems to fall right in the middle, which is good. The main character Damage was well portrayed by (Jake Ryan) a man confused about who he has become verses who he wants to be.
A good gang movie not without its flaws. But in the end all movies have them in my opinion. You won't be sorry you wasted your hour and thirty nine minutes on this.
The Auzzie accent ruined it
luanamataafa12 October 2020
Ok i actually enjoyed this movie, however when the main character who is supposed to be born and raised in NZ has a strong Australian accent it really just put me off. Makes it less realistic. Could they not have got a kiwi actor or could Jake Ryan not do an NZ accent? Confusing and was really the only downside of the movie for me. Other people walked out saying it was terrible which it wasn't but the trailer does portray a different movie. Don't go in expecting a once were warriors movie this is definitely a drama and backstory of how Danny got into the gang life.
A powerful story told poorly
Suave-42 February 2021
Savage has a genuinely powerful story to tell but goes about it all wrong. For starters it's told out of sequence with multiple timeline jumps back and forth to make a simple story seem complex. The camera work is bizarre and distracting. But worst of all is a myriad of scenes featuring loud nerve-jangling music with slow motion montages. No idea what that was meant to achieve other than prolong the runtime. Not to mention Jake Ryan's New Zealand accent was laughable. Speaking Aussie with a few eh bro's on the end is not speaking New Zealand. 4/10.
A story that needed to be told .
karleebrokenshire11 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This film and story helps general people who are clueless about gang culture in Aorearoa understand how and why people are drawn into this life. The film is deep and multi faceted showing one man'a life and journey from childhood , adolescence and into an adulthood deep in gang life . I found it hard to watch at times due to the violence , but enjoyed the layers of the characters and the character development. I was sad when it finished as I wanted to know what happened to the main characters .
Good but could been better..
tocanepauli4 January 2021
Well acted depiction of life in a NZ gang. Some of the dialogue was very hard to pick up, and it was a bit difficult to follow bits of the story. If you think this is not typical of gang life, think again....... Would have liked to see them expand the characters more, but overall was a good watch...
Just average
bforbrett8 January 2021
Excellent movie.
jankohout4 October 2020
Probably one of the best New Zealand made movies I've seen so far. It Gives more of an insight into human emotional trauma and inner pain rather than gang life. It shows that New Zealand has a history that is worth talking about even for a small country. It gives an insight into what life was like back then and reasons why gangs were forming. Gangs in New Zealand in particular, were more about brotherhood and having each others back in an unsafe world. Many of the members were from poorer families or had a hard life from the start. When watching this movie I felt a sense of understanding for these gangs. It proves that there are reasons why people are violent, some of them have seen violence since they were born. You cannot just judge someone based on their looks. I hope you get the chance to see the movie, and I really do hope this comes out of New Zealand and people recognize the potential in the New zealand film industry. Support your scene and keep it alive.
correct
Kirpianuscus5 April 2021
A film about survive, family, change of life, power. And gangs. Correc crafted, for a large part of public presents real unknown realities. It is difficult to say if it works as introduction in a wilde, tough life style. But it gives, in fair manner, the main points for define it as good story. And, for many reasons, it can be that just enough.
im just thinking...
ops-5253510 December 2020
Living the rest of his life as a ''civilian'' with that tattoo in his face, because gang life is like being in the military services, and reflecting such a part of ones own past would be preposterous, if not to say postmortem when trying to retain a normal life.
so now i guess everybody understand that the grumpy old man is pretty opposed to tattoos, ever so beautiful i wouldnt let it under my skin for anything in the world. i do not use rings, braceletts, rubber bands, ear rings, no boddy buds, because i know im good looking ,nearly broader than im high so i guess destiny have been mercyful on me...but review yes...
production, well the story are pretty generic, and not shocking at all having watched gang docus on discovery and ngc the over the past 20 years, ganglife itself is just like politics , the only difference is the way to parlaiz.clawhammers,sticks,guns or fists are the neolittic way to govern so...
well its a hairy experience, and the gangs are hard to differ from eachother, but the acting is realistic at the fist and stick level so its ok, i just didnt like the way the plot and story where told. but thats my sole opinion. a small recommend.
so now i guess everybody understand that the grumpy old man is pretty opposed to tattoos, ever so beautiful i wouldnt let it under my skin for anything in the world. i do not use rings, braceletts, rubber bands, ear rings, no boddy buds, because i know im good looking ,nearly broader than im high so i guess destiny have been mercyful on me...but review yes...
production, well the story are pretty generic, and not shocking at all having watched gang docus on discovery and ngc the over the past 20 years, ganglife itself is just like politics , the only difference is the way to parlaiz.clawhammers,sticks,guns or fists are the neolittic way to govern so...
well its a hairy experience, and the gangs are hard to differ from eachother, but the acting is realistic at the fist and stick level so its ok, i just didnt like the way the plot and story where told. but thats my sole opinion. a small recommend.
Not as good as the lovers say
Chrispearce23 January 2021
Some of the worst wigs ever seen
richwool28 May 2021
New Zealand bike gang murders and eventually cries
johnnykowalski1 January 2021
A sensitive, character driven take on motorbike gang culture (Sons Of Anarchy this is not). Mixes moments of tension, aggression and violence with deep, unflinching melancholy . What lets the film slightly is it's pacing which at times seems off with those ponderous moments going on a little too long. I'm still unsure about the ending.
It's not Once Were Warriors...
ianscottlewis9 April 2021
...but it's a decent and watchable effort to bring something of that trope bang up to date. The script makes it challenging to relate to the characters who are portrayed as barking dogs much of the time. But the acting brings to life a wealth of emotion that goes unsaid. Some characters feel like add-ons or padding. But it's a great effort. And the makeup is very true to life.
Disappointed
brianlfc-026761 January 2021
Another great New Zealand gang film
valleyjohn24 September 2020
There have been some very good gang based movies that have come out of New Zealand over the years . Romper Stomper and Once were warriors are two that spring to mind but is Savage good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as those movies ?
Absolutely.
Inspired by the true stories of New Zealand's street gangs across 30 years, this movie follows danny at three defining moments in his life as he grows from a boy into the violent enforcer of a gang.
I really liked this film . It shows how one wrong turn ( or accident) in childhood can change an entire life and affect you and others for decades .
The performance are brilliant . Jake Ryan is superb and as far as I'm aware it's the first film I've seen him in anything . The young lad who plays Danny as a kid is great too.
It's violent but not gratuitous. You seen what is necessary to the story and no more and you have to applaud director Sam Kelly for not going over the top although it's still an 18 which is a shame as it will limit the audience.
I'd have no problem with my 15 year old watching this . In fact he may even learn a thing or two about how people can change despite the bum hand they have been given in life .
Savage has a limited cinematic release here in the UK and if you get the chance to see it , you should .
Absolutely.
Inspired by the true stories of New Zealand's street gangs across 30 years, this movie follows danny at three defining moments in his life as he grows from a boy into the violent enforcer of a gang.
I really liked this film . It shows how one wrong turn ( or accident) in childhood can change an entire life and affect you and others for decades .
The performance are brilliant . Jake Ryan is superb and as far as I'm aware it's the first film I've seen him in anything . The young lad who plays Danny as a kid is great too.
It's violent but not gratuitous. You seen what is necessary to the story and no more and you have to applaud director Sam Kelly for not going over the top although it's still an 18 which is a shame as it will limit the audience.
I'd have no problem with my 15 year old watching this . In fact he may even learn a thing or two about how people can change despite the bum hand they have been given in life .
Savage has a limited cinematic release here in the UK and if you get the chance to see it , you should .
Such a pity
tobyhogan31 January 2021
Someone would have worked very hard to get funding for this film, and unfortunately the money was wasted making this terrible thing. Sound is awful early on in the film with dialogue almost completely non understandable. Very strange editing with really unnecessary cuts and almost flash frames at times and quite questionable cinematography, very disjointed story line and a very predictable ending. Aussie Actor as one of the leads, badly doing kiwi accent, is an interesting choice, like many things to do with this film, I waited for this film to start and get going, but unfortunately this never happened, an hour and a half of my life, I will never get back.This kind of film is why it is getting so hard to get films financed.
Movie Review
michaeldowneyy14 September 2020
I liked this movie because it gave me a interesting understanding into the life of a gang member here in New Zealand and New Zealand citizen it really hit home as I can relate to a lot of situations in the movie! It has a really good way of grabbing your attention and making certain situations so surreal. Would definitely recommend 🔥
Sorry but no
rbailey-1189112 December 2020
Very stereotypical depiction of supposed gang members. All sitting around drinking beer in the morning. Driving shifty cars and squabbling over money. I am sure any gang members who watched this would have a good chuckle and once finished get into their Range Rover and drive home to their 5 bedroom villa. If gangs were actually that dumb we would not have to spend tens of millions of dollars trying to dismantle them. Sorry but no.
Sorry but not a great movie
ccrispin24 January 2021
Having grown up in NZ I was really I interested in this movie. However I just found it to be a really weak version of Once were warriors.
The characters wernt interesting and the story line was weak. It a real shame because there is a story to be told about the development of gang culture and the seemingly simple yet really complicated socioeconomic factors which contributed to today's high roller gang culture. I feel that story is still to be told beyond what Once for Warriors could manage. However this attempt failed miserably
The characters wernt interesting and the story line was weak. It a real shame because there is a story to be told about the development of gang culture and the seemingly simple yet really complicated socioeconomic factors which contributed to today's high roller gang culture. I feel that story is still to be told beyond what Once for Warriors could manage. However this attempt failed miserably
Savage by name, savage by nature.
Lomax34324 September 2020
A powerful and surprisingly moving film about a boy drawn into gang culture (in New Zealand, but it could've been set anywhere) and growing into a man to whom violence is not just the only thing he knows, but the only thing he can understand. The depiction of the lives these outlaws lead is uncompromising. Rather than glamourising them, the dirt and squalor of their existence is starkly depicted. The performances are excellent throughout, but Jake Ryan is superb in the central role of Danny, aka Damage, who slowly comes to realise that whilst he has undoubtedly been failed by his father and the various authorities in whose "care" he grows up, he has also catastrophically failed himself.
Fails To Find Its Soul
damianphelps25 April 2021
Unfortunately for Savage, rightly or wrongly, this film is always going to be compared to Once Were Warriors. Whilst the stories have similarities they really aren't that close.
However the problem for Savage is unlike OWW it never really finds it soul and heart. Its not for a lack of trying. I think the shorter running time robs the film of more time to connect us to the characters pain. We understand it intellectually but its not enough to connect us.
Has some good moments but not enough.
However the problem for Savage is unlike OWW it never really finds it soul and heart. Its not for a lack of trying. I think the shorter running time robs the film of more time to connect us to the characters pain. We understand it intellectually but its not enough to connect us.
Has some good moments but not enough.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
