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Hunt for the Wilderpeople review – Sam Neill is warm and wise in Taika Waititi’s goofily tremendous film

theguardian.com · 5dShare

Waititi’s eccentric drama sends the late actor into the New Zealand wilderness with his young charge, angry authorities in hot pursuit The recent sad loss of Sam Neill is a great opportunity to revisit one of his greatest roles, in this tremendous family film from 2016, a goofy mix of Butch and Sundance and Chaplin’s The Kid. It’s arguably the masterpiece of its writer-director Taika Waititi, who adapted the 1986 bestseller Wild Pork and Watercress by New Zealand author Barry Crump, bringing his distinctive irony, comedy and quirk (Waititi has a droll cameo as a wacky vicar), but wisely lets the story and performances do the real work, so the movie continues to win the hearts of audiences. Neill plays Hector, a grouchy old buzzard who works on a farm on New Zealand’s North Island just below the vast forested wilderness of the breathtakingly beautiful Te Urewera . The property is owned by his big-hearted wife Bella (Rima Te Wiata) who works as a foster parent, regularly taking in troubl

First report: Taika Waititi reveals ‘caring’ final text with co-star Sam Neill — metro.co.uk, 5d