Savage

Shifting back and forth among three watershed moments in the protagonist’s life, Kelly draws an emotional road map detailing one man’s life and how he got from A to B ... [Director Sam] Kelly wisely makes Danny and Moses’ friendship and their growth (or not) the real story, and [Jake] Ryan and [John] Tui’s completely believable, naturalistic dynamic serves as the movie’s emotional anchor.

– Reviewer Elizabeth Kerr in The Hollywood Reporter, 8 October 2019

Filming Savage was a confronting and amazing experience that will stay with me forever. We all went very deep for the film, pouring our hearts and souls into it, and respecting the people and story we were telling.

– Actor Jake Ryan, who plays Danny as an adult

While researching Lambs, I spent time with a Porirua youth gang and then met several former and current Mongrel Mob and Black Power members. The stories of their childhood journeys towards becoming gang members I found the most affecting. Many came from abusive homes, were removed and placed in state care where they suffered horrific abuse, and afterwards looked to join other outcasts in a new family unit — a gang.

– Savage writer/director Sam Kelly, in an interview with Newshub, 16 July 2020