Windtalkers (2002)

I think the closest film analogy I can come to in describing Windtalkers is that of Go For Broke, the MGM classic film that starred Van Johnson. It told the story of the division formed by the Nisei of Hawaii, Japanese-Americans who fought in Europe in the Italian theater. Johnson's not thrilled with the prospect of commanding them, but he learns to respect their spirit and by the end of the film has bonded nicely with his Asian troops.In the Pacific Theater somebody got the brilliant idea to use Navajo Indian language as the code during battle. Up to that point the Japanese had broken all the codes the Marines had devised. That meant enlisting Navajos in the Marines to be given specific radio training.The catch is that these Navajos become a most valuable commodity and have to be protected lest they fall in Japanese hands as prisoners. That's where Nicholas Cage comes in. His specific assignment is to protect Navajo communicator Adam Beach and his radio. Like a defensive lineman protects his quarterback.Windtalkers unlike Go For Broke is not a story of the program itself. It concentrates on the special bond that forms between both Cage and Beach. To say Cage develops a political consciousness would be about right. By the end of the film Cage is protecting Beach for personal reasons. In fact there's a postscript at the end of the film with Beach back at the reservation that is beautiful and sublime.Of course there's enough blood and guts for any war film fan as well as the Navajo communication program is given its first test in the bloody battle for Saipan in the Pacific. Still the focus is one the respect and friendship that Cage and Beach develop for each other.Windtalkers, a really fine war film.

OK, I'll try to be fair here - this movie had a decent plot (or at least original idea) and could've been a very solid movie... It clearly had a good budget to match, 2 boxes ticked very early on. Unfortunately the rest kind of went to pot. Apart from the performances of Adam Beach and Mark Ruffalo, the acting was awful - from Nicholas Cage to the extras, from the delivery of lines to the deaths. The acting was very robotic and the cast might as well have had the script on screen with them.This leads me on to the inevitable shooting, killing, explosions, gun fire and blood... Now we've all seen Saving Private Ryan (if you haven't that is the War movie you must watch), so we've seen how special effects can, and are meant, to be done. Windtalkers gets that completely wrong. The blood looks more paint like than in Get Carter (a movie 30 years older), the unfortunate loss of limbs look plastic and the aimless shooting/ spraying of bullets (but still hitting targets) becomes evident right from the off. To top it off, Windtalkers uses the same explosion throughout the movie - whether it's for mortar fire, artillery guns, grenades or even landlines... Same explosion! It feels like they try to put in a lot of, relatively unnecessary, action to take the focus away from the diabolical acting... Unfortunately the actions scenes aren't much better.Pro's: Good and original idea/ storyline Adam Beach Mark Ruffalo A lot of action and variety of weaponsCons: Didn't fulfil potential Poor acting from all other actors Bad special effects Didn't give a realistic insight on World War 2 or keep you glued to the screen throughout.My thoughts: A disappointment overall unfortunately, I would've really liked to see the movie succeed.Suggestions to watch (WW2 American movies/ shows): Saving Private RyanFury Band of Brothers Flags of Our Fathers (American view)/ Letters of Iwo Jima (Japanse view)

Private Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) is a Navajo who is trained to be a code-talker in the Pacific. Joe Enders (Nicolas Cage) is a tough Marine sergeant who held his position in the difficult Soloman Islands. He is wounded with a perforated ear drum and have difficulties balancing. He fakes his medical with the help of nurse Rita (Frances O'Connor). He is then assigned the task of protecting the valuable code-talker and more importantly the code at all cost, implying that the code-talker must die rather than falling prisoner.Director John Woo tries for a full blown war movie. It's not his usual fare. The action is certainly big enough. His usual style doesn't always translate into realistic action. Nicolas Cage doesn't seem to fit the character. I like Adam Beach better as the young naive soldier. The true story may be interesting but there are better war movies elsewhere. John Woo continues to use the close up reaction shots and the close up gun face off. It takes away from the gritty realism.

W i n d t a l k e r sDirected by John WooThe heroism of certain illustrious representatives of the species Homo Sapiens has never ceased to amaze me. Growing up as a boy in Umhlali I had heard people speak with pride of the incredible courage of people like Mahatma Gandhi and Fatima Meer and Alan Paton. I did not know then of the astounding bravery of people like Ismail Meer and Nelson Mandela or H. A. Naidoo or Dr Goonam or the Rev Beyers Naude. Why all this?I have just seen Windtalkers with Nicholas Cage directed by John Woo, possibly the best war movie I have seen this year. It is certainly up there with GLORY! and Saving Private Ryan. It is a superlative effort and has all the true grit of reality. Woo pays meticulous attention to detail and his camera pays loving homage to the American South West with its stunning landscape and its unearthly vista.This movie had been panned by certain critics. Since it is a movie about the indigenous American Indian contribution to the war effort against Nippon and since, like most South Africans, I had grown up on a diet of John Wayne and Alan Ladd, I decided that I needed some balance.I had also seen how some of the critics had panned brilliant epics like Michael Collins, The Patriot, The Legend of Bhagat Singh etc. and I suspected that they had another establishment agenda. So I decided to ignore the critics' comments; and seldom have I been happier with following my own Spirit!The film depicts both Japanese and American heroism - and American racism. The Navajo volunteered for this War - and there is honour and glory in the movie even though Ben, the one code warrior actually names his son, George for George Washington - it reminded me of a South African Indian who named his son, 'Clive'. He, of course, didn't know the significance of Robert Clive in India's history - and didn't care to know.One of the American soldiers talks of how his father remembered how the Indians were hunted like gophers and $3 was paid for each Comanche ear that was brought in. The devastation wreaked on flesh and blood by steel and explosive is demonstrated here in all its heart- wrenching reality as human beings behave worse than any force of nature, whether volcano, tornado or earthquake. These soldiers are not supermen, just very human men, trying to survive, trying to win, trying, in the end, to be human beings despite all the terror unleashed upon them by forces outside their control, forces which manipulate them like toys. This is a movie well worth seeing if one is interested in history and the kind of experiences our forebears went through. Victors always write history, but at last something of our own history is being written and shown. In a sense, that means we are winning too. And those uncomfortable with our history will always condemn what we know and what we write.Review By Deena Padayachee