Guy Pearce straddles a bloody divide between two warring Māori tribes in The Convert trailer

Last Updated on June 5, 2024

Magnet is bringing an intense trailer for Lee Tamahori‘s (Once Were Warriors, The Edge, xXx: State of the Union) action drama The Convert to theaters and on-demand on July 12, 2024, but not before footage from the film spills blood online. The gripping tale of survival stars Guy Pearce (Memento, The Hurt Locker, L.A. Confidential) as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the center of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes. The Convert trailer is ambitious and brutal, displaying a power clash for control over land and loyalty.

Lee Tamahori’s The Convert premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 as part of a special presentation. Before the screening, festival organizers released the following description of the film:

As the tall ship carrying preacher Thomas Monro (Guy Pearce) arrives on the shores of the settler town of Epworth, he enters a world he could scarcely have imagined. Despite the growing colonial British presence in the early 19th century, Aotearoa—the South Pacific islands that would become known as New Zealand—is still very much dominated by Māori. The settlement is a ramshackle assortment of buildings heavily influenced by the political struggles between two warring Māori iwi or tribes.

Munro soon learns to navigate the complex dynamics at play within the community and with the iwi. Epworth leases its land from the local iwi headed by Maianui (Antonio Te Maioha), whose nation struggles with the aggressive might of his counterpart, Akatarawa (Lawrence Makoare), whose brutality in claiming territories threatens Epworth’s Tenuous stability.

Munro finds himself in Maianui’s good favour after he saves his daughter Rangimai’s life. Bonded by their experience, Munro and Rangimai share a desire to see peace come to the region, and they venture into Akatarawa’s territory to end the conflicts despite the seeming impossibility of their mission. Tensions escalate to a climactic battle that ultimately forges a new path forward for both iwi and Munro himself.

The Convert trailer blends political intrigue with emotional action as a fight for peace rages throughout a tortured land. Do you have the stomach for such rage? We’ll find out when The Convert comes to theaters and digital platforms on July 12, 2024.