Lush Pacific backdrops and a provocative script fuel this tale of vengeance set in New Zealand. The time is 1870, and the English are ruthlessly colonizing the island. Te Wheke (Anzac Wallace) is a Maori tribesman serving in the British Army. But after his own village and family are wiped out in a senseless raid, Te Wheke vows "utu"--the ritualistic revenge demanded by his culture. Deserting, he tatoos his face with colorful symbols and leads other Maoris on a rampage of retaliation and rebellion. Pitted against them are Lt. Scott (Kelly Johnson), a white New Zealander who sympathizes with the Maoris, his commander, Col. Elliot (Tim Elliot), a bigot determined to crush the rebels, and a settler hunting Te Wheke with a custom-made quadruple shotgun because his wife has been killed. Highly praised by critics, UTU is a powerful story that dramatically depicts the excesses any people can go to when they feel their cause is right.