20 Famous Movie Tattoos (And What They Actually Mean)

10. Once Were Warriors (1994)

Once Were Warriors
Fine Line Pictures

Role: Julian Arahanga as Nig Heke

Lee Tamahori's critically lauded Once Were Warriors is as much a story of Maori identity in modern New Zealand (or at least in 1990s New Zealand) as it is about working class life and life persevering through adversity.

The film offers a stark insight into gangland culture and rituals, as Julian Arahanga turns away from the domestic abuse of his father (primarily on his mother) to join a gang as a means of escape. He escaped violence by seeking a life of violence.

The gang he joins has rituals that require him to be savagely beaten on joining up, as well as having his face dramatically tattooed as a symbol of his allegiance. Maori identity and symbolism as a source of strength are a key part of the film's narrative, and his acceptance of those marks signify his means of escape, despite how extreme they seem.

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Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.