Windtalkers

Rating:
Summary: More hype than truth
Review: The writer of the screen play for this movie obviously did not research his subject very well before setting it to film. There are several facts in this movie that are clearly ficticious to the point that had me wanting to leave ten minutes after it began. First, the Navajo radio operators did not have personal body guards assigned to them to "guard the code". The language is so complex that much study would be required in order to understand it wihout the code. The Navajo are not preocupied with knowing the names of those who have died, as was Adam Beach's character. To speak of the dead is considered a taboo. After sustaining a severe injury to the inner ear, a soldier would not have been sent back into battle as he would have been unable to stand or walk without appearing drunk. There is no medicine now to correct that condition and certainly there was none then. The special effects department went overboard with the ordinance explosions. Only incindiary rounds produce a lasting flame and not of the magnitude depicted in all of the movie's explosions. This effect is totally absent in anti-personnel mines. The director was trying to achieve quality equal to that of "Saving Private Ryan", but missed it miserably. Which is how I felt while watching this production.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, touching, but a lot of raw violence
Review: This was an enjoyable movie for a number of reasons. It's R rated, most likely because of the violence. It reminded me a bit of Saving Private Ryan and We Were Soldiers, with its level of gore and on-screen, violent, battle footage. But there is also a good story here, and a character arc for Nicholas Cage that is worth watching. He is at his grittiest and typically a little loose in the cabeza. Perhaps most meaningful for me was the piece of history it portrayed-- the heroic role of the Code talkers."

It gets a four rather than a five because the battle scenes went on too long. Well, the ladies in our group both said they were bored by the long battle scenes. They were fine by me. But I could see why they felt that way. I would have liked to have gotten to know the code talkers better. But overall, I left the movie feeling satisfied. The main themes and conflicts were satisfactorily resolved, and a few times I choked up and almost felt some tears. When a movie can take me through those feelings, it's usually done its job. At the end of the movie, a lot of people clapped. That seems to be happening more often in theaters. In this case, I think it was because there was a heartfelt sense of completion.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves an academy award
Review: An absolutely first-rate film. It deals with the problem of obeying orders vs. normal morality and does so with sympathy for both sides. While the Cage character is legitimately fighting with all his might to kill as many evil Japs as possible he is troubled by his orders which might force him to kill his Navajo partner in order to save the Navajo code from the evil Japs. I keep saying evil Japs because too many Americans have forgotten how evil they were! I hope this picture wins an award and that Cage and the fellow playing Ben Yazhi also win awards.

Rating:
Summary: Much Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing
Review: In an era of great, realistic war films such as "Saving Private Ryan", "Blackhawk Down", and "We Were Soldiers", this film stands out as an example of how NOT to make a modern war film.

Yes, the requisite violence and pyrotechnics are there but their impact seems so much less when compared the previous 3 films that I mentioned. The assault on one's senses is relentless but not in a way that allows the viewer to feel the tension and fear of the characters on screen; rather, the viewer is rendered numb and, dare I say, unsympathetic to their plight.

As has been mentioned by previous reviewers, the film is loaded with every tired, worn cliche ever used in a war movie. This would be perfectly acceptable if Woo had only used these cliches as effectively as Spielberg did in "Saving Private Ryan" but Woo falls far short of this goal.

The film vacillates between being "anti-war" and one of those John "we're gonna kill all those Japs over the next hill" Wayne pieces from the 40s and 50s - if Woo intended to deliver a message to us about the brotherhood of war despite racial differences, it was either lost in the carnage or drilled into us by the heavy-handed direction that was I was ready to throw up my hands and say "Alright, I get it already".

On a positive note, Cage delivers a fairly good performance as a physically and emotionally scarred Marine...in fact, it's his best performance since the last time he played an emotionally scarred character. All of the other characters have about as much depth to them as children's wading pool and you can have great fun in guessing the order of their demise. By the end of the film, I was rooting for the Japanese to put these actors (and by extension this film and myself) out of their misery.

It appears that the ground warfare phase of the Pacific Theater of World War 2 has to yet be given solid treatment - it's now 0 for 2 (in the modern era) between this film and that boring, overly-intellectual exercise known as "The Thin Red Line". Both of these films lost my attention but in different ways - "Red Line" lost me with its ponderous, existential treatment of war and "Windtalkers" lost me with is ponderous, visceral, cliche-ridden treatment of war. Perhaps redemption will be found when Spielberg adapts the very fine book "Ghost Soldiers" for the screen.

Rating:
Summary: This is a story that needed to be told.
Review: As the daughter of a veteran of Iwo Jima, I have been interested in the Navajo Code Talkers for some time; "Windtalkers" did not disappoint me. It's a fine tribute to these unsung heroes of the Pacific. Now, if I could just meet one of them and shake his hand...

Rating:
Summary: WindTalkers= Simple Old War Movie
Review: On June 13th I attended a presentation in Pueblo, Colorado by three of the Dine [Navajo] CodeTalkers. Excellent and personal presentation that was done realistically and a manner to highlight the contributions of the Dine,their part in World War II and the lack of information about them: Samuel Sandoval, Teddy Draper Sr, Keith Little

Interesting and informative information was presented about the lives of the CodeTalkers prior to being part of the US Marine Signal Core. Anxiously I waited for Friday to arrive to be able to see the film.

What a disappointment--- I did not use a stop watch but would estimate that only nine minutes of the film really related to the CodeTalkers. Windtalkers is no more than a bloody World War II movie that tries to build interest in "the story" where there really is little story in the movie.

The writer/director/producer could have given a proper presentation by showing/telling more about the Dine's culture, language and schooling prior to the Marines era. This would have made the whole story more meaningful. The topic of the film is exceptional--- the presentation is a simply war movie that is trying to capitalize on the CodeTalker story.

What is there about the Dine People and their culture that made it possible for them to excel during WW II? Could any group with an archaic lanugage have done the same? Is there something that is really unique and special about the people who became Navajo CodeTalkers? Did their environment help shape their culture and understanding of the world? Did they enlist to excape the desert? Did they enlist because they also were trying to protect America? Did they enlist because if was "a job?" So much could have been done the film other than blood and guts.

I wonder if the writer/proudcer/director ever talked to CodeTalkers before the script was written.

Nevertheless--- the film may be a stimulus for people to search the internet to learn "the real" story of the CodeTalkers. Finally, through the film more people will become aware of "the story." A person really interested in the CodeTalkers will learn more in a less time by reviewing WebPages than attending the WindTalker movie.

Rating:
Summary: War movie that crumbles
Review: The only good thing this movie did, is showing how the Navajo soldiers who work as code talkers were such a big part of the Pacific part of WWII. However, the message gets lost. After seeing this movie I can't help compare it to "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers".

"Saving Private Ryan" has great dialog, "Windtalkers" tries to do the same but fails, the characters are not interesting and have very little to contribute, so much so that Nurse Rita gets slowly deleted out of the movie.

In "Saving Private Ryan" there is a transitional scene when they show water, or puddle goes from peaceful to getting pounded by rain droplets with bombs sounds. That had a great effect, because it connected a peaceful situation to the reality of war. "Windtalkers" tried the same thing by showing a lake and moving backwards until you see blood, can we give credit where credit is due, thanks "Saving Private Ryan".

"Windtalkers" used the Navajo for code talkers, sending coordinates so that the ground units can get artillery and air support. Once again similar to another war movie, "We Were Soldiers". In "We Were Soldiers" the air support was a climatic event in the movie. However in "Windtalkers" it was not, in fact the way they used the support scenes they were glanced over. The scenes were on the screen for less than a 30 seconds if even that long.

Also, "Windtalkers" also did very unusual camera work, such as zooming into the character's faces like a T.V. soap or made-for-T.V.-movie, it was over done.

Both "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers" seem to use war tactics. For example: in "Saving Private Ryan" the whole ending is planed out by Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) and so the audience could follow along. In "We Were Soldiers" Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), uses history and the idea of countering his enemy for every move he makes. Even in his analyzing of the situation that he and his men are going to be sent into. "Windtalkers" does NOTHING to show us this, it's like they just went in and shot randomly. Yes maybe some details weren't needed, but in a war movie, you need strategy, you need a plan, you need a goal so we can have a resolution. "Windtalkers" doesn't do any of that for the audience. It did briefly talked about how greatly they needed to control the islands, but that's as far as they took it. It seems that they had to end the movie so they did what they did and rolled the credits. In the end all we get is, "If you tell this story, mention his name, and say I was his friend."(I quote as closely as I can, so please excuse me if I'm incorrect).

Finally, if I could choose a point to end on would be the music or score to the movie. It was horrible...none of the music seemed to fit the situations that they were used for, with one exception, which might ruin the movie so I'm not going to write about it.

Jose

Rating:
Summary: Gosh. Hollywood. Again.
Review: In some ways this is a very gratifying movie: thump the Japs, show the unexpected valor of the Navaho, put Nicholas Cage in a heroic position, especially as He Finally Sees The Light About Native Americans.

This is just too much Hollywood. Far too much. Nicholas Cage is his very moody self.

At times the cultural insensitivity of this movie is overwhelming. The Navaho spiritualist allows the white guy's harmonica to supplement his beautiful, hand-carved flute!!! No!!! Give me a break!!...

The code-sharing Navahos are a very high-risk group. The Japs want them. Bad. So vital to national security that they have to be killed if capture is imminent. Uh. Pardon ME!! "Whitehorse" is parading around in public view with his Navaho knife and various spiritual trappings...with his hand-carved flute, no less? We are trying to make him look like just another Marine. Trying to be incognito? Trying to NOT STAND OUT? Give me a break!!!

Finally, there is this totally horrible "fact-of-war" that you're supposed to kill the Navaho if it looks like he could become a POW. But...guys don't get killed in comparable situations, of course (e.g. Francis Gary Powers, the spy plane pilot who was captured by the Soviet Union in the '50's.) WHAT HORSE MANURE!!! On the one hand, Hollywood has taken so many liberties with this story that, sad to say, nothing can assumed to be true. On the other hand, did the U.S. government actually actually single-out these Navaho for assassination?: Kill the Indian if he is about to be captured?How awful!! If so, I would love to see the perpetrators prosecuted and put in JAIL!!! But, is it true? I have not a clue. It could go either way...

Rating:
Summary: Over the top in audience abuse
Review: I went to this movie anticipating learning more about the clever, courageous Navajo code talkers and hoping to get a sense of their experience. Instead, the movie focused on the unsympathetic Nicholas Cage character with the Yazzie and Whitehorse characters decidedly a distant second. The unrelenting violence, beginning with the first frame, was awash in gratuitous dismemberment, close-ups of gaping wounds, exploding heads and burning bodies. Unrelenting explosions from bombs, machine guns, artillery, small arms and flame throwers left my ears ringing for hours. Instead of learning about the code talkers, I was subjected to over the top emotional ABUSE. I came away shaken and sickened by the movie and I am an experienced nurse! Understandably there were large numbers of Native Americans in the audience, what I fail to understand is the large number of young children brought by their parents! What were they thinking?! This is NOT a movie for any child under 18 and probably not a movie for anyone! I am angry about this film and I have vowed I will NEVER again allow myself to be subjected to such abuse. Movie makers take note!

Rating:
Summary: A good story lies buried in here somewhere
Review: From mid-1942 to the end of the Pacific war, approximately 400 Navajo Indians served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions and Marine parachute units as "code talkers". Their job was to transmit military traffic by radio and telephone in their native language. It was a code the Japanese never cracked. This is the inner kernel of the script for WINDTALKERS.

Nicolas Cage plays Sgt. Joe Enders. He's already demonstrated his ability to follow orders. In the Solomon Islands campaign, his unit fought to the last man - Enders himself - to defend some piece of scummy swamp. After recovering from injuries, Joe is assigned as guardian to a newly enlisted Navajo, Pvt. Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach), who's a rookie radioman in a Marine recon outfit that's part of the assault on Saipan. Joe's orders are to protect the Navajo code "at all costs", which means, in effect, that Enders must be ready to kill Yahzee rather than allow the latter to be captured by the enemy.

Director John Woo has buried the nugget of a pretty good story in so many dead bodies and special effects that it's virtually lost to view. Woo must have been trying to outdo WE WERE SOLDIERS and BLACK HAWK DOWN in body count. Even when the beleaguered Marines discover they're almost out of ammo, they still manage to mow down the onrushing Japanese in scores. Joe Enders himself, suffering the guilt and rage from being the only survivor of his former Solomon Islands unit, is a one man killing machine seemingly capable of storming Tokyo single-handed. The hapless Ben finds himself put in harm's way as he's forced to trail along after his minder and watch the carnage. The combat action isn't even always plausible. At one point, a Marine infantry column in a valley is having the bejeezus kicked out of it by Japanese artillery entrenched on a ridgeline. Somewhere between the two, the last of our heroes' recon unit is scrambling to recover a radio - the last one on Earth apparently - with which an air strike can be called in to paste the bad guys. Are you telling me that the larger Marine detachment in the valley didn't have its own communications gear to call for help?

I'm awarding three generous stars to WINDTALKERS solely on the strength of Cage's gritty performance as the vengeance-obsessed Enders. And although Beach has extensive screen time as the naive Navajo who must become a warrior while under fire, he rarely serves as much more than a foil for Joe's wild-eyed blood lust. The battle sequences themselves are fairly good, though those in the other two films mentioned in this review are a cut above by far. Quantity doesn't necessarily equate with quality.

If anything, this film may inspire the viewer to do additional research on the role of the World War II Navajo code talkers. That, I guess, is something.