The Tattooist

Last updated

The Tattooist
Tattoist poster.jpg
The Tattooist film poster
Directed byPeter Burger
Written byMatthew Grainger
Jonathan King
Starring Jason Behr
Michael Hurst
Nathaniel Lees
Robbie Magasiva
David Fane
Edited by Paul Maxwell
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista International
Release dates
  • October 2007 (2007-10)(Hof International Film Festival)
  • 9 August 2007 (2007-08-09)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryNew Zealand
LanguagesEnglish
Samoan

The Tattooist is a 2007 New Zealand horror film directed by Peter Burger and starring Jason Behr, Nathaniel Lees, Michael Hurst and Robbie Magasiva among others. The film is the first in a series of official co-productions between New Zealand and Singapore. [1]

Contents

Plot

Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr) is a global wanderer and tattooist who explores ethnic themes in his designs. While visiting Singapore to sell his craft at a local trade show, he swipes an ancient Samoan tattoo tool. After flying to New Zealand to resume his art, he meets up with a lovely Samoan woman named Sina (Mia Blake) and discovers the local Samoan culture. But Jake slowly learns that his stolen tool ends up unleashing an evil avenging spirit whom targets all of the customers that Jake has given tattoos to since his theft of the tool. While attempting to learn pe'a, the Samoan tradition of tattooing, Jake soon realizes that Sina is imperiled when she gets a tattoo from him and he must find a way to save her, and himself.

Cast

Production

Principal photography commenced on 16 September 2006 in Auckland, New Zealand, [2] primarily at Studio West in West Auckland. [3]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack contains music by The Mint Chicks, King Kapisi and Don McGlashan among others. The score is composed by Peter Scholes.

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed to negative for The Tattooist. Common criticism centered on the film's pacing, as reviewers from sites such as DreadCentral felt that the movie's plot was too padded and the concept too thin for the 90-minute film length. [4] Bloody Disgusting echoed the same sentiments and expressed frustration over The Tattooist, as they believed that the movie could have been "something fresh and original but instead mimicked a bunch of terrible films before it." [5] Shock Till You Drop criticized what they saw as an overabundance of backstory and exposition, explaining that "Too much time spent on explaining 'why' works against sustaining a sense of disbelief and The Tattooist is especially ponderous in this regard." [6] In a positive review, David Johnson of DVD Verdict stated the film is "a frantic, messy, nasty little horror flick and is worth checking out." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Power Rangers Ninja Storm</i> Television series

Power Rangers Ninja Storm is a television series and the eleventh season of the Power Rangers franchise, based on the 26th Super Sentai series Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger. The season marked a series of firsts in the franchise, being that it was the first to be filmed in New Zealand, the first to not be produced by MMPR Productions, and the first to air on ABC Kids in its entirety; debuting on February 15, 2003.

<i>broTown</i> New Zealand adult animated series and sitcom

bro'Town is a New Zealand adult animated comedy television series and sitcom that ran from 2004 to 2009. It starred David Fane, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi and Oscar Kightley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Behr</span> American film and television actor

Jason Behr is an American film and television actor. He first starred in the American television series Roswell, for which he was twice nominated for a Saturn Award, followed by roles in the films The Shipping News and the American remake of the Japanese horror film The Grudge. Behr has also had a series of guest appearances in various television shows like Step by Step, The Profiler, 7th Heaven, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and JAG and had recurring roles in the American television series Dawson's Creek and Breakout Kings.

Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand theatre actor and director and film actor of Samoan descent, best known for film roles in The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and for starring in Young Hercules as Chiron the centaur.

<i><span title="Māori-language text"><i lang="mi">Tā moko</i></span></i> Maori facial tattoo

Tā moko is the permanent marking or "tattoo" as traditionally practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles.

<i>Siones Wedding</i> 2006 New Zealand film

Sione's Wedding is a 2006 New Zealand comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safune</span> Village district in Gagaifomauga, Samoa

Safune is a traditional village district on the central north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. It lies within the electoral constituency of Gaga'ifomauga. Safune is the birthplace of Mau leader Olaf Frederick Nelson and the filming location of Moana, one of the first documentaries made in the world. The Mata o le Alelo pool associated with the Sina and the Eel Polynesian legend is also in Safune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Magasiva</span> Samoan-New Zealander actor (born 1972)

Robbie Joseph Magasiva is a Samoan-New Zealander actor who has starred in several films and as a member of the Naked Samoans comedy troupe. He has also appeared on television and in theatre, and was the co-presenter of New Zealand's Tagata Pasifika with famed athlete, Beatrice Faumuina. Magasiva is also known for his role on Shortland Street as Dr. Maxwell Avia, which he played from June 2009 to July 2012, and for his current role as Will Jackson on the prison drama series, Wentworth, an adaptation of the iconic women prison drama Prisoner. Magasiva is the only male actor to appear in all 8 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ti West</span> American film director

Timon C. West is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, and occasional actor, best known for his work in horror films. He directed the horror films The Roost (2005), Trigger Man (2007), The House of the Devil (2009), The Innkeepers (2011), The Sacrament (2013), X and its prequel Pearl, and the Western In a Valley of Violence (2016). He has also acted in a number of films, mostly in those directed by either himself or Joe Swanberg.

Samoan New Zealanders are Samoan immigrants in New Zealand, their descendants, and New Zealanders of Samoan ethnic descent. They constitute one of New Zealand's most sizeable ethnic minorities. In the 2018 census, 182,721 New Zealanders identified themselves as being of Samoan ethnicity with 55,512 stating that they were born in Samoa, and 861 stating that they were born in American Samoa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peʻa</span> Traditional male tatau of Samoa

The Peʻa is the popular name of the traditional male tatau (tattoo) of Samoa, also known as the malofie. It is a common mistake for people to refer to the pe'a as sogaimiti, because sogaimiti refers to the man with the pe'a and not the pe'a itself. It covers the body from the middle of the back to the knees, and consists of heavy black lines, arrows, and dots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinnie Kruse</span> Soap opera character

Vainu'u "Vinnie" Kruse-Miller is a fictional character from the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, played by Pua Magasiva. Vinnie first arrived on 25 November 2003, leaving the show on 23 February 2006. He made a return to the soap after a five-year gap on 16 August 2011.

<i>Siones 2: Unfinished Business</i> 2012 New Zealand comedy film

Sione's 2: Unfinished Business is a 2012 New Zealand comedy film and the sequel to the hugely successful 2006 film Sione's Wedding. It was produced by John Barnett and Paul Davis, directed by Simon Bennett, co-produced by South Pacific Pictures and New Zealand Film Commission with music by Don McGlashan and written by Oscar Kightley and James Griffin. The film stars Oscar Kightley, Shimpal Lelisi, Robbie Magasiva, Iaheto Ah Hi, Dave Fane, Teuila Blakely, Madeleine Sami, Pua Magasiva, Mario Gaoa, Nathaniel Lees, David Van Horn, Ayşe Tezel, Dimitri Baveas, Kirk Torrance and Te Kohe Tuhaka. Sione's 2: Unfinished Business was filmed at Auckland, New Zealand. The film was theatrically released on 19 January 2012, by Sony Pictures and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 13 June 2012, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film has received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $723,000 in New Zealand. This was Pua Magasiva's final film appearance seven years before his death on 11 May 2019.

<i>Ill Bury You Tomorrow</i> 2002 American film

I'll Bury You Tomorrow is a 2002 low-budget independent horror film written and directed by Alan Rowe Kelly produced by New Millennium Pictures, starring Zoë Daelman Chlanda, Bill Corry, and Katherine O'Sullivan. The film premiered in West Paterson, New Jersey on June 17, 2002 and was released in DVD format on January 31, 2006.

<i>The Hanover House</i> 2014 American film

The Hanover House is a 2014 horror film that was directed by Corey Norman and is his feature-film directorial debut. The film had its world premiere on May 9, 2014 at the Saco Drive-In. It stars Brian Chamberlain as a man that must deal with the demons from his past before he can move on as an adult.

<i>After Sundown</i> (2006 film) 2006 American film

After Sundown is a 2006 American horror-Western film directed by Christopher Abram and Michael W. Brown, written by Abram, and starring Susana Gibb, Reece Rios, Natalie Jones, and co-directors Brown and Abram and produced and executive produced by Keith Randal Duncan. The plot is about a vampire gunslinger from the Old West who terrorizes a modern-day town when his bride is revived.

<i>Deathgasm</i> 2015 New Zealand film

Deathgasm is a 2015 New Zealand independent comedy horror film written and directed by Jason Lei Howden in his directorial debut. The film premiered on 14 March 2015 at South by Southwest and was released in theaters later that year to positive reviews.

<i>Leatherface</i> (2017 film) 2017 American horror film directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo

Leatherface is a 2017 American horror film directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, written by Seth M. Sherwood, and starring Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Grasse, Sam Strike, and Lili Taylor. It is the eighth installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM) franchise, and works as a prequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), explaining the origin of the series' lead character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Underground</span> New Zealand performing arts collective

Pacific Underground is a New Zealand performing arts collective, founded in 1993 in Christchurch, New Zealand, to produce contemporary performing art that reflects the group's Pacific Island heritage. In 2016 they received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pacific Music Awards. They are the longest running Pacific contemporary performing arts organisation in New Zealand.

References

  1. Thompson, Wayne (19 June 2006). "Spirit of partnership as NZ and Singapore sign thriller deal". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  2. Eyeworks Touchdown - Company > News
  3. "Our Story". Studio West. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  4. Kasch, Andrew (23 June 2008). "The Tattooist". DreadCentral . Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  5. Miska, Brad (31 October 2007). "The Tattooist". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  6. Allard, Jeff. "The Tattooist (REVIEW)". STYD. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  7. Johnson, David (27 June 2008). "The Tattooist". DVD Verdict . Retrieved 9 November 2013.