Warren Lee Tamahori (June 17, 1950 – November 7, 2025) was a New Zealand film director. His feature directorial debut, Once Were Warriors (1994), was a widespread critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made. He also directed the James Bond film, Die Another Day. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lee Tamahori, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 17, 1950
- November 7, 2025 (aged 75)
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Director, also writer
- 16 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are Lee Tamahori's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 9
Light 1 · Serious 3 · Dark 5
Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 7
Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 2
Casual 1 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Lee Tamahori's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
- Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) · first assistant director · free
- The Devil's Double (2011) · director · free
- The Quiet Earth (1985) · first assistant director · free
- Mulholland Falls (1996) · director · free
- Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981) · boom operator · free
- While She Was Out (2008) · thanks · free
Subscription and free streaming for Lee Tamahori's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Convert(2023)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Mahana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Billions(2016)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
The Devil's Double(2011)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
While She Was Out(2008)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Next(2007)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all filmsThe British Touch: Bond Arrives in London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
xXx: State of the Union(2005)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Die Another Day(2002)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Along Came a Spider(2001)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Sopranos(1999)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
The Edge(1997)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Mulholland Falls(1996)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Once Were Warriors(1994)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Thunderbox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
The Quiet Earth(1985)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Ray Bradbury Theater(1985)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Among the Cinders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Utu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Wildcat: The Struggle for Democracy in the New Zealand Timberworkers' Union (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Beyond Reasonable Doubt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles from 1980 to 2024.
Biggest box office
Die Another Day (2002)
Highest rated
Once Were Warriors (1994)
Most popular right now
Next (2007)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Won a Venice award in 1994.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Lee Tamahori's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 56/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Lee Tamahori's work okay for kids?
Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Lee Tamahori work with?
People who share at least 2 of Lee Tamahori's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Tattersall shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Michael MadsenShared titles: Die Another Day (2002), Mulholland Falls (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Madsen
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- David TattersallShared titles: Next (2007), xXx: State of the Union (2005), Die Another Day (2002)See all 3 shared titles with David Tattersall
- Christian WagnerShared titles: Next (2007), Die Another Day (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Christian Wagner
- Jerry GoldsmithShared titles: Along Came a Spider (2001), The Edge (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Goldsmith
- Neil TravisShared titles: Along Came a Spider (2001), The Edge (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Neil Travis
Producers
- Robin ScholesShared titles: The Convert (2023), Once Were Warriors (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Robin Scholes
- Arne SchmidtShared titles: Next (2007), xXx: State of the Union (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Arne Schmidt
