THE CONVERT

THE CONVERT is about a British lay preacher, Munro, who gives this life to God, and travels to New Zealand in 1830. Munro is assigned to lead the Christian church in a new British colony in Aotearoa. Upon immediate arrival, Munro steps into the middle of a violent tribal war among the local Maori people. He saves the life of a young Maori woman, Rangimai, whose husband is brutally murdered before their eyes.

Munro brings Rangimai, and her guard, to the English settlement. He finds his British congregants have become just as violent as the savages they are afraid of when they hunt down the innocent Maori guard and kill him in cold blood. Can this ex-soldier turned pastor teach peace before all the occupants of Aotearoa destroy each other?

THE CONVERT tells a captivating story with wonderful acting, magnificent scenery and a Christian worldview promoting peace, but it’s marred by some intense and gruesome violence, brief partial nudity and an implied bedroom scene.

Thomas Munro travels tumultuous seas by ship from England to New Zealand in 1830. His mission is to serve as the pastor of the Christian community in the new British settlement of Aotearoa.

Before Munro even reaches the British settlement, however, he gets caught up in a violent tribal war. He pleads for mercy for the victims of a massacre. Akatarewa, the victorious bloodthirsty Maori chief, agrees to trade one of his captives in exchange for Munro’s horse. The chief gives Munro a young woman named Rangimai but orders the brutal murders of her husband and all the others in front of her.

Munro accepts Rangimai into his care and protection. He takes her into his home in the new settlement, which tries to resemble “polite” British society. Rangimai is deathly ill, however. The British leaders refuse to help her or even give Munro medicine for her. A kindly British daughter points Munro to the home of an outsider, Charlotte. Charlotte is a “medicine woman” who speaks Rangimai’s language. She restores the young woman’s health. Consequently, Charlotte becomes a bridge between Munro and the Maori people.

Meanwhile, Rangimai’s father, Chief Maianui, sends his daughter a guard named Pahirua to live in the settlement as well. Pahirua is a good young man, eager to learn from Munro. He embraces Christ, attending church services and carving out wooden crosses. However, when the colony’s British leaders notice one of their daughters developing a romantic relationship with Pahirua, they kill him in cold blood and leave his body on the church altar.

Munro is stunned by the savage behavior of these supposedly “civilized” Christians. Munro confronts the leaders with their crime and threatens them with the consequences of killing a man the Chief appointed to protect his daughter. Scrambling for a scapegoat, they falsely accuse a man who falls outside of their chosen branch of Christianity. He too is murdered.

Munro personally takes Pahirua’s body back to his tribe and shakes the dust from his shoes of the English settlement forever.

Munro holds onto his love for Jesus, however, and continues to seek peace in the region. As an ex-British soldier, he’s learned that violence only begets violence. He also sees the manipulation by the British. For example, the British colonists sell guns and ammunition to both of the opposing Maori tribes. As the tribes kill each other off, the British will then acquire the land.

Munro warns the Maori tribes that, if they continue to be at war, they will all die. Chief Maianui gives Munro permission to ask the enemy tribe for peace. However, Chief Akatarewa is committed to violent solutions. While Munro is there asking for peace, Chief Akatarewa kills an entire ship of British sailors. He steals their weapons along with their ship. Munro must rush back to his new friends to warn them of the impending insurmountable attack led by Chief Akatarewa.

THE CONVERT tells a captivating story. It’s filled with wonderful acting and magnificent scenery. Munro’s actions show courage, and he exhibits a great example of Christian living. He holds onto his Christian faith and goes where God leads him, even though it’s far from where he thought he was going.

History teaches what Jesus Christ Himself teaches in Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.” Jesus adds in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only when he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Thus, what Munro experiences in his little British congregation is what Jesus speaks of when he walked the earth. As Jesus says in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Eventually, Munro follows Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 10:14, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”

The clear villains in THE CONVERT are the British colonists. This sometimes comes across as politically correct revisionist history. Historically, of course, British colonies have made many positive contributions to the rest of the world, such as the spread of Christianity, education, roads, infrastructure, and industry. It’s also important to note that Munro, the main hero in THE CONVERT is both British and Christian. He becomes an advocate for the indigenous people who are taken advantage of by the British. However, he also remains a Christian and believes God sent him to the indigenous people.

THE CONVERT has some other problem areas, however. For example, it has intense and gruesome violence throughout, brief partial nudity and an implied bedroom scene. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.