To celebrate Makoare's fantastic turn in the new film, let's take a look back at all the tough guys he's played over the years, and determine whether or not they qualify as misunderstood, like The Warrior.
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (1999)
Movie:
After cutting his tough guy teeth playing two different heavies in season three of
Xena: Warrior Princess,
Makoare got his first high-profile big-screen tough guy role in the lacklustre follow-up to
Once Were Warriors
, which initially plays like a bad parody of its predecessor.
Tough Guy:
Grunt, sour-faced leader of the fictional Kaipatu Kaahu gang, who are rendered about as threatening as villains from the '60s Batman show due to the film's cartoonish portrayal.
Face covered?
Sports a pretty cool moko.
Misunderstood?
No. Despite only having a few minutes of screen time, the fifth-billed Makoare is the film's driving force of evil. He undermines Nig Heke (Julian Arahanga), then gets him killed, and becomes the target of the revenge-seeking forgotten Heke son, Sonny (Clint Eruera).
As Kahu Bastion in The Crooked Earth.
Crooked Earth (2001)
Movie:
Contemporary Maori-centric action drama directed by local industry veteran Sam Pillsbury (
Starlight Hotel, Free Willy 3: The Rescue
). Makoare's largest non-monster role until T
he Dead Lands
.
Tough Guy:
Kahu Bastion, land occupier, marijuana grower ("a necessary evil") and brother/rival to Temuera Morrison's prodigal son Will. Prone to riding horses about the place and posing dramatically on clifftops.
Face covered?
Dons a faint goatee (hey, it was 1995 2001). Gets a facial moko for the third act.
Misunderstood?
Kahu begins the film as more of an anti-hero, and Makoare proves adept at treading this line - it's a quality in the actor that would go under-utilised until
The Dead Lands
. As
Crooked Earth
progresses, Kahu becomes more and more villainous, culminating in him caving in Quinton Hita's skull with a patu. Guess he wasn't a Mai Time fan.
As Lurtz in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Movie:
The first, and best, of Peter Jackson's
Lord of the Rings
movies.
Tough Guy:
Lurtz, the first born and leader of the Uruk-hai, the race of super-orcs bred in the mud by Saruman (Christopher Lee). Lurtz's grimy birthing sequence is one of the most dazzling moments in the entire trilogy.
Face covered?
Lurtz's make-up covered Makoare's entire body - the physicality of his performance, along the the design and make-up work, helped to create a legendary modern movie monster.
Misunderstood?
Bred to be evil, and very good at it. Kills Boromir. Beheaded by Aragorn.
As Mr Kil with Pierce Brosnan.
Die Another Day (2002)
Movie:
Pierce Brosnan's last, most desperate gasp as James Bond, aka the one with the invisible car and the lame Madonna cameo. Makoare was drafted in by Kiwi director Lee Tamahori (
Once Were Warriors
), who went on to helm Bond-wannabe sequel, XXX: The Next Level, starring Ice Cube.
Tough Guy:
Mr. Kil, a henchman possessed of quite possibly the least creative name in the history of suggestively-monickered James Bond characters.
Face covered?
Only by a pencil thin goatee.
Misunderstood?
All evil, all the time. Expresses unadulterated glee at the prospect of slicing up Halle Berry's Jinx with a laser beam. Is attempting to stab 007 with his heru comb when he is dispatched by said laser beam.
Gothmog
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Movie:
Multi-Oscar-winning third part of Peter Jackson's
LOTR
trilogy, in which Makoare plays two separate villain roles - they even converse at one point.
Tough Guy #1: The Witch-king of Angmar, the Fell Beast-riding leader of the Nazgûl, and prime Sauron stooge.
Face covered? Over a black cloth mask, the Witch-king wears a spikey helmet that rivals Sauron's for gothic intensity.
Misunderstood? Although the Ringwraiths were once mortal men, this guy seems wholly committed to evil ends, especially when taking on Eowyn (Miranda Otto) with a giant mace.
Tough Guy #2: Gothmog, the deformed orc leader who leads the forces of darkness in the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
Face covered? Oh yes. Possibly the best make-up Makoare has ever worn, Gothmog's extreme look was inspired by The Elephant Man. One of Richard Taylor and the Weta Workshop gang's crowning achievements, Gothmog set a new creative standard for creature character design. He also has the most dialogue of all the monsters Makoare has played, but it's all spoken by Craig Parker, who played elf Haldir. And Guy Warner in Shortland St.
Misunderstood? Not quite as sympathetic as John Merrick.
The Ferryman (2007)
Movie:
Dire Kiwi horror film that ended up going straight to DVD after proving to be quite terrible. Squanders the talents of arguably our greatest ever actress, Kerry Fox (
An Angel At My Table, Shallow Grave
). Also stars John Rhys-Davies aka Gimli from LOTR.
Tough Guy:
Snake, original carrier of the evil spirit that drives the plot of the film.
The Ferryman
opens with him attacking The Greek (Rhys-Davies) on a boat in the middle of a storm.
Face covered?
Nope.
Misunderstood?
Well, he's possessed, so probably not evil to begin with. Appears genuinely surprised when the spirit crosses over to The Greek who promptly stabs him to death, then chops off his extremities and throws them overboard.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Movie:
Second and most recent entry in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of
The Hobbit
.
Tough Guy:
Tall snub-nosed pale orc Bolg - who takes over from fellow pale orc Azog The Defiler (Manu Bennett) as the second film's principal antagonist.The character showed up with a different look in
An Unexpected Journey
, and was played there by Conan Stevens, who incidentally was the first of three actors to portray 'The Mountain' Gregor Clegane in
Game of Thrones
.
Face covered?
Yes indeed. Bolg's snarling, raw (digital) features make Azog seem almost cuddly. These two are father and son according to Tolkien. It lends a certain subtext to the proceedings.
Misunderstood?
Bolg is due to re-appear in December's
The Battle of the Five Armies
, so a move to the side of our heroes is technically possible. We can feel the good in you, Bolg!
Favourite Lawrence Makoare performance? Comment below!
What: The Dead Lands, directed by Toa Fraser and starring James Rolleston
When and where: Releases at cinemas on Thursday, October 30
Click here to read more about 'The Dead Lands'.
- TimeOut
