10 Directors Who Never Topped Their First Film

2. Lee Tamahori - Once Were Warriors

Zack Snyder Dawn of the Dead
Fine Line Pictures

Of all of the directorial debuts featured here, Once Were Warriors is likely the least known of the bunch. For those who have yet to check out Lee Tamahori's 1994 movie, it's one you should be hunting down as soon as possible.

Set in New Zealand, this tale centres on a Maori family dominated by a fierce, erratic, heavy drinking, abusive father playing by Temuera Morrison (most recently seen as Boba Fett in The Mandalorian). Once Were Warriors is undoubtedly a tough watch at times, but it's also an absolutely stunning film that doesn't hold back as the Heke family is pulled apart by the behaviour of its patriarch.

Director Lee Tamahori has gone on to have a solid career for himself in the years since Once Were Warriors, even getting to helm a James Bond outing with 2002's Die Another Day, yet that 007 picture and films like xXx2, Along Came a Spider, Mulholland Falls and The Devil's Double all haven't got anywhere close to matching the filmmaker's '94 effort.

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