Summary
Ricky writes in his notebook outside Sam's trailer, when suddenly he spots the cops searching for them. He alerts Hec, and realizes that Sam turned on his phone and connected to the cellular service, which is how the cops found him. Sam thinks he has an underground bunker, then remembers it doesn't exist.
Sam then unveils a pickup truck and they all jump in. They drive through the bush recklessly, avoiding trees. A large group has assembled to chase them, and Ricky wonders if they will have to have a shoot-out, "and then die in a blaze of glory." They drive on, pursued by cop cars and a helicopter, with Ricky at the wheel.
A large army tank pulls up alongside them, with Paula in tow. Other cars surround the truck, and Paula orders Ricky to pull over the truck. Ricky steps on the gas as they see a group of army vehicles up ahead. Even when they see the army, Ricky continues to drive away, causing cops to crash into one another, and eventually driving back into the bush where they cannot be located.
When they have lost the authorities, Ricky drives the car through a fence and overturns it in a junkyard. The cops catch up with them and surround them, while Ricky and Hec hide behind the truck. Hec raises his hands and surrenders, when Ricky yells that Hec is molesting him. "I bloody hate you!" Hec says to Ricky, to which Ricky responds, "I hate you too, you bloody traitor!"
As Hec goes to turn himself in, Ricky holds up his gun and tells him that he cannot go anywhere because they have to stick together. Ricky insists that they are family, and Hec starts to walk away. As one of the hunters goes to shoot Hec, the cop who's been working with Paula prevents him from shooting, but Ricky shoots him in the leg. A cop tackles him, and they are both arrested and placed in separate vehicles.
Ricky testifies in court, and we see people, including Kahu and her father, speaking as witnesses. Ricky goes to live with Kahu and her father, where they give him a hot water bottle, just like at Bella's.
Epilogue. The scene shifts and we see Hec getting out of jail and going to a rehabilitation facility. There, he teaches himself to read. One day, Ricky visits him with Tupac. "I'm sorry that I shot you, and I'm sorry that I burnt down your shed, and I'm sorry for what I said that day, about you being a molesterer," Ricky says. Hec tells him that he's better off without him, and Ricky tries to say something meaningful to him, but gives up and walks away.
Before he goes, Hec calls him back and recites a haiku he wrote about their experience together. It ends with "and it was the best" and Ricky smiles at him. "It was the best," Ricky says back. Having a change of heart, Hec agrees to come with Ricky and tell the authorities about the bird they found. Ricky tells him he has to be allowed to call him "Uncle" and Hec says that's allowed. Hec tells him that his only rule is that Ricky cannot shoot him. They hug.
Ricky and Hec go into the forest in search of the bird.
Analysis
The pursuit of Ricky and Hec culminates in a goofy action chase sequence, in which the authorities are chasing them through the wilderness in all kinds of vehicles, while they speed away in a red pick-up truck. It is something out of one of Ricky's "gangster" fantasies, and he even alludes to the fact that he wants to "die in a blaze of glory." The sequence is at once suspenseful and humorous, a whacky and unconvincing homage to much more nail-biting sequences in dramatic, high-budget action films.
The hyperbole of the sequence is part of what makes it so funny. Not only are the local authorities trying to track down Ricky and Hec, but the army has been called in too. Not only that, but no amount of force can stop Ricky. Even when he sees all the army tanks and the military force that has been called in to stop them, he just steps on the gas and keeps running. In this way, he becomes the image of the anti-establishment "gangster" that he has naively identified with in the past.
Even when Hec is pushed to the limit and ready to turn himself in, Ricky refuses to give in to the authorities, and threatens to kill Hec. "You're not going anywhere. We stick together!" he yells at Hec, hurt that Hec would even think of giving up on their plan to live in the wilderness. Ricky has grown exceedingly attached to Hec, and feels that their connection is his only chance at a happy familial life. Thus, he sees Hec's surrender as a betrayal, even though they basically have no other choice but to turn themselves in.
Up until the end, the film maintains a sense of humor even when dealing with very dark topics. In the moment when they have to give up, Ricky lies that Hec molested him, because he is so afraid of being separated from him. In any other moment, this might be a horrifying and disturbing revelation in the plot, but here, it is funny because the audience knows that it is patently untrue. Hec is forced to go to jail and to a rehabilitation center, even though he has not actually done anything wrong. Director Waititi treats this grave injustice with a winking, satirical touch, and we are meant to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
The film, for all its irreverence, ends on a sweet and moving note. Ricky and Hec make amends with one another, even after everything they have been through together. Hec learns to read and constructs a heartfelt haiku about how much he likes spending time with Ricky, and Ricky invites him to come along on more wilderness adventures. The final scene is the two of them wandering into the woods going in search of the rare bird they found. They have both found, in each other, a sense of belonging and family that neither of them knew was possible.
