War adventure film

River Queen (2005): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Name: River Queen
Genre: War, Adventure
Released: 2005-09-12
Duration: 1 h 54 min
Cast: Samantha Morton, Rawiri Pene, Kiefer Sutherland, Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis

River Queen is a 2005 war adventure film directed by Vincent Ward, starring Samantha Morton as Sarah O'Brien, Rawiri Pene and Kiefer Sutherland. It runs 1 hour 54 minutes and earned $915,442 worldwide.

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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: September 12, 2005
Runtime: 1h 54m (114 min)
Director: Vincent Ward
Genres: War , Adventure
Original language: English
Studio: Silverscreen Films
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is River Queen About?

The premise of River Queen without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Set in the 1860s, the film follows young Irish immigrant Sarah and her family as they become entangled in the brutal conflicts between British forces and Māori warriors during New Zealand’s colonial wars. Their personal loyalties are tested as they navigate love, loss, and survival on both sides of the fighting.

River Queen Themes & Keywords

· 36 tags

love
exotica
female nudity
family relationships
woman
young
new zealand
maori
irish
colonization
voice over narration
female topless nudity

+24 more

sex
battle
kidnapping
woods
trap
tent
tattoo
shot to death
settler
jumping rope
river
resistance fighter
mother son relationship
mixed blood
island
identity crisis
grandfather
funeral
diary
blindfold
baby
19th century
death of child
male nudity

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Cast & crew

River Queen Cast & Characters

Samantha Morton leads the cast as Sarah O'Brien, with Rawiri Pene as Boy and Kiefer Sutherland as Doyle. Directed by Vincent Ward; 33 actors are credited in all.

Director Vincent Ward

Samantha Morton as Sarah O'Brien
Rawiri Pene as Boy
Kiefer Sutherland as Doyle
Temuera Morrison as Te Kai Po

Also Starring in River Queen

· 29 more

Cliff Curtis Wiremu
Stephen Rea Francis
Anton Lesser Baine
Danielle Cormack Viola
Wi Kuki Kaa Old Rangi
Mark Ruka Hone
Barry Te Hira Te Kai Po Lead Warrior
Kayte Ferguson Tangamoko
Adam Gardiner Baine's Lieutenant
Thomas Kiwi Te Kai Po Lead Warrior
Paul Norell Surgeon
Brandon Lakshman Timoti
Noa Campbell Kura
Warwick Morehu Te Kai Po Lead Warrior
Mikaila Hutchinson Young Sarah
Nathan Passfield Boy (7 years)

Show all 33 cast members

Tyson Reweti Tommy Boy
Grayson Putu Young Wiremu
Laura Coyte Douglas Theresa
Julie Ranginui Old Puhi
Bill Pene Te Kai Po Elder
Poipoia Te Taonga Poa Hoki Mai
Glen Drake Colonial Recruit
Nancy Ngaiwaiwera Turanga Te Manawanui
Stephen Reweti Tattooed Kupapa
John Katipa Interrogating Kupapa
Hone Te Pania Maori Tribal Chief
Liston Rua Boy (23 years)
Shavaughn Ruakere Maori Tribal Chief's Wife

From the director

More from Vincent Ward

More films directed by Vincent Ward, best-rated first: Map of the Human Heart, What Dreams May Come, The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey and Vigil.

Full filmography

Plot

River Queen Plot Summary

What happens in River Queen from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Set in New Zealand in 1868, against the backdrop of Tītokowaru’s War—the turbulent phase of the New Zealand Wars between Māori forces and colonial troops—the film follows Sarah O’Brien Samantha Morton, a woman who has grown up among soldiers at a frontier garrison on Te Awa Nui, the Great River. Pregnant at sixteen by a young Māori boy, she brings a son into the world, named Boy Rawiri Pene. Seven years pass, and Boy is kidnapped by his Māori grandfather, leaving Sarah crushed and determined to find him.

Full summary

The whole story of River Queen, scene by scene

Read the full summary