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The Man Who Lost His Head


            The opening credits state that the Boer War between 1899 and 1902 was the first time New Zealanders fought abroad with 6,000 volunteering to fight alongside the British against the South African Boers. When the war ended some of the defeated Boers, having lost families and farms, joined the returning soldiers in search of a new home.It's 1903 at a New Zealand harbour. Major Pritchard Carlysle is having breakfast and scrutinising the docking list for the day. He's startled and intrigued to see the name of Arjan van Diemen and asks his aide to get customs to pull him aside and escort him to see Carlysle.Sergeant Saunders intercepts the aide and discovers who is being stopped. He is fuming as he served in South Africa and recognised the name of van Diemen as the butcher of British soldiers and marches down to the docks.At the custom office Arjan van Diemen's (Ray Winstone) gaze falls on three young girls. He is brought out of his reverie by the Customs Officer. On being asked why he has come so far, he replies he is curious - curious to find out why New Zealanders crossed two oceans to help the British burn down his farm.Before the bemused man can reply, Saunders arrives, pulls a gun on van Diemen, disarms and arrests him and marches him off to Major Carlysle. Major Carlysle is furious, orders Saunders to return his gun and apologises to van Diemen saying some don't realise the war is over. He recalls he spent two years in the Transvaal trying to track van Diemen down then seems uncomfortable with his reminisces and sincerely hopes van Diemen finds a new farm.The scene switches to a stable where a Maori called Kereama (Temuera Morrison) has been having sex with Lucy a local prostitute. She asks him about a pouch around his neck which contains the dust of his grandfather's homeland. He is respectful to her and builds up her self esteem by saying she would be considered a beauty and a princess in his culture.A drunk Saunders with two corporals stagger out of a bar and notice the stable lights are on. He catches Kereama talking to Lucy and decides to teach him a lesson. At first Kereama takes the beating but then angrily shouts at them in his native tongue. They go back to beat him up again and Lucy tries to intervene. They push her aside and in the fight Saunders attempts to kill Kereama with a pitchfork but ends up killing his own corporal. Saunders panics and accuses Kereama of the murder who flees. The other corporal backs him up. Lucy is bearing a bruise on her face, and giving a frightened look to the glaring corporal, then corroborates their story.Major Carlysle arrives and is none too convinced the soldiers are telling the truth. He orders Saunders and the corporal back to barracks and organises a search party of six with a local tracker called Bryce. He refuses the offer of dogs, saying he won't be part of a blood sport.He sees van Diemen at the site and offers him money if he will join them. 100 sovereigns if he catches the Maori alive or 25 sovereigns dead. Van Diemen asks a local constable about the Maori and finds he's an expert harpoonist who left his whaling ship the previous day.The search party sets off next morning down the beach and Bryce follows the wrong tracks in the belief Kereama is intent on going further down the beach to catch another ship. Van Diemen believes the fugitive is not running away but has come home and sets off alone inland where he picks up the trail.By the end of the day Bryce realises he has been following the wrong trail. A soldier snarls they should have got the dogs but Major Carlysle orders them back to the spot where they lost the trail to pick it up again.Meanwhile van Diemen is now hot on the trail, and captures Kereama the following morning. That night van Diemen gets out his Bible and to his surprise Kereama completes the passage he was reading from memory saying he had been taught by the missionary school and also by his grandfather who said to know your enemy, you have to know his God. Kereama also asks to see the picture in van Diemen's watchcase that he keeps looking at and discovers a picture of van Diemen's family his wife and three little girls one aged eight and twins aged six. Van Diemen curtly says they are no longer alive.Next day Kereama overpowers van Diemen in a river but can't leave him to drown so pulls him out which leads to the tables being turned again.Kereama argues his grandfather lost and brought shame to their nation, as did the Boers against the British. He keeps asking how van Diemen's wife died which enrages van Diemen who looks to shoot him. However Kereama first apologises then asks again later. Van Diemen explains that the British set fire to their farms and drove off their women and children like cattle to camps where many died of sickness. But he doesn't know how his family died. They keep arguing over their respective reasons for hating the British although van Diemen denies he does. He does say that during the Boer War he and his men cut off the trigger finger of the bravest officers they captured - only the bravest - as a sign of respect. Kereama says there is no hope for him then.As the search party turns inland and the terrain becomes harder, Major Carlysle sends one of his men back to base with the horses and to get more supplies as this was taking longer than he had hoped. In a later conversation with a rookie soldier, he advises him to be sure he could give his children a worthy answer as to what he had done in defence of the realm.Kereama escapes again from van Diemen and there is a frantic chase climaxing in a vicious fight between the two men. Kereama has the chance to finish off van Diemen but refuses to do so, saying he is no killer. At that point Bryce appears with a gun followed by the rest of the search party.Major Carlysle thanks van Diemen for his efforts in securing the capture of Kereama, promising him the 100 sovereigns. Then they spy Saunders riding back with the provisions. Major Carlysle is not happy to see him. He rebukes him later when he catches Saunders glaring at Kereama ordering him to remember that this is not a vendetta.As they camp that night, van Diemen asks for meat and goes to feed Kereama who has been tied to a tree. They talk to van Diemen about the so-called freedom he was fighting for back in South Africa and Kereama telling how he was forced to watch the British kill his grandfather. He tried to bury him but was too small and ran away. He always knew he would one day come back to set them free. Van Diemen asks if this was why he came back in order to restore family honour. Kereama replies that it was, and that he had almost made it home over the next ridge but van Diemen had denied him.Van Diemen goes back to the soldiers without his knife. Kereama discovers this and waits until most are asleep, and uses the knife to cuts his ropes. He then overpowers the rookie guard and escapes. When his flight is discovered the next morning, Bryce is suspicious about the circumstances but van Diemen leaves first saying he has a score to settle.Saunders then tells Major Carlysle that the rookie's gun is missing which means they must now be prepared to shoot to kill on sight, much to the Major's reluctance. As they move off, the camera clearly shows the rifle lying on the ground.Van Diemen leaves a false trail for Bryce and the search party so he can buy time for Kereama. He tracks him down preparing to enter his ancestors' sacred cave. Whilst Kereama is in there, van Diemen kneels down outside with the Bible open and the picture of his family in view and prays.Kereama emerges and they leave together, van Diemen now protecting Kereama. Kereama says he's still curious to know why they cut off the trigger finger of those British officers in the Boer War? Van Diemen simply replies it was a sin to kill and this stopped good men from sinning.Kereama realises he can no longer run and when they get to a small waterfall, van Diemen encourages him to stand and fight with him. He gives him his pistol but Kereama refuses, again saying he is not a killer. When they see the search party getting close, Kereama asks for a favour - for van Diemen to shoot him so he doesn't die like his grandfather. He hands the gun back to van Diemen and turns his back on him. Van Diemen hesitates then fires. As the search party approaches, van Diemen is standing at the edge of the pool with Kereama's body lying face down under the waterfall.Van Diemen hands a bloodied bandage to the Major which contains an index finger. He tells the Major it was another trophy for his Majesty's government and says Kereama had courage and deserves respect.This enrages Saunders who wants Kereama's head but one punch from van Diemen sends him sprawling back down the hill. Major Carlysle turns to leave as well but van Diemen insists that Kereama's body should be carried down and buried. The Major says sorry but enough time has already been spent.Now back at his base Major Carlysle idly watches a man wash the back of his head, face down under a standpipe. A slow realisation comes over him and he shouts out that he's alive and he wants a soldier at every port and whaling station looking for a Maori with a missing index finger. The order is to bring him back alive.The final scene is on a beach where a small group of passengers are waiting for a launch to take them to a ship bound for Australia. Major Carlysle on horseback rides down the beach up to van Diemen sitting away from the group. He dismounts and gives van Diemen 25 guineas reward. He tells him that he knows the Maori's still alive.There is a flashback to the waterfall scene where we see van Diemen shoot to miss and Kereama just stand there. Van Diemen then pistol-whips him so he falls down the small waterfall into the pool. Van Diemen races down to place Kereama face down under the waterfall and then pulls out a knife.Back to the beach and the Major cannot understand why van Diemen let him go but says he must have had his reasons. Van Diemen accepts the money and says its quite a sum but why so generous? Then realisation dawns on him. He squares up to Major Carlysle and looks him in the eye and asks whether he gave the order to burn down his farm and whether there was anyone still in the farm as it burned. Major Carlysle assures van Diemen he did not give the order nor was there anyone in the farm while it burned. Van Diemen is satisfied and they part as he gets in the launch and the Major back on his horseThe scene switches back to the waterfall where Kereama comes to and sees he's alone and still freeIt switches forward to the present where Major Carlysle, who, as he is riding away, calls after van Diemen that every whaling station is being watched and that the Maori won't be free for long.The scene switches back to Kereama arriving at a station where a clerk gives him papers to sign and watches carefully. Then the clerk gives an imperceptible shake of the head to a soldier nearby who sits back with a shrug. Kereama hands back the pen and leaves.Finally we are back to the launch as Major Carlysle gallops off down the beach, van Diemen puffs on his pipe and the camera pans down to his hand with a bandage over a stump where his index finger should be. He takes out his watchcase and looks at the photo of his family and as a tear trickles down his face he smiles at them at peace with himself.
    

Gareth Reeves

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