Windtalkers

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Movie
Review: This was a good movie, a little gorey. It was good to see Indians in a movie where they were not being hunted by cowboys. There is a lot of action, and what happens if you just follow orders and don't use your own head to save yourself and your troops. It is also about learning about yourself and courage. There is also a man that learns that rasism is wrong and grows up.

Rating:
Summary: Theft
Review: I hate to be so cynical, but does it bother anybody other than me that one of the few recognized mainstream contributions to modern U.S. culture by a native American group has just been hijacked by Hollywood? Why did they have to make the star a caucasian? When I saw the trailers, I almost walked out of the movie. Then I realized that I hadn't come to see Windtalkers, but was about to see a moderately thoughtful movie. Spend your money elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Go rent it, not worth buying.........
Review: This movie is a very big let down....I couln't wait till it came out in stores, rented it and now regret doing so. It had horrible acting, horrible stunts and a horrible over all plot. It was a very big let down to what I thought it was going to be like after seeing the theatrical teasers.........

Rating:
Summary: More cowboys vs Indians movie.
Review: This movie kind of stinks. Nicolas Cage's character is a marine corp sergent who is in charge of making sure that his Nevajo Indian companion who acts as a code talker doesn't fall into the Japanese hands. This movie supposedly took place during the invasion of Saipan during WWII. The enemies, which are the Japanese Imperial Army soldiers, were basically nameless and faceless. The only purpose they serve was to be shot, just like the Indians in your old typical western movies. The movie doesn't give you the perspective of what the whole war was about. Also, it was a little unrealistic that at the end when the marines were sent to scout a hill that was supposedly heavily bombarded by the American battleships, and yet, you don't see a single shell hole anywhere. It could have been made better.

Rating:
Summary: Windblowing: Sagebrush on Saipan?
Review: Windtalkers is a movie with exceptional potential. You've all read about the plot, and it's limitless possibilities for drama and excitement. Unfortunately, in this age of "Band of Brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan" realistic-WWII dramas, Windtalkers blows.

First off, the main crux of the movie concerns the battle for Saipan. Saipan is a tropical island that was crucial to the Allies' Pacific effort in driving the Japanese back to their home islands. John Woo shows us scenes of aerial bombings over the Saipan war theatre that rival those in Saving Private Ryan, but midway through the film, we obviously lost some funding for special effects or travel, because the battles are obviously taking place somewhere in California. I felt like I was watching a remake of "M.A.S.H," with the fake props, rebuilt enemy garrisons, and obviously well-used ATV roads in the Cal desert. In fact, I saw so much sagebrush that I was hoping high students were watching, for fear that their already clouded understanding of geography would be further muddied.

Then there is the acting. The gentleman who plays the Navajo windtalker (Beach?) does a great job. In fact, he is the only bright part of the film. Nic Cage seems to be going after an Oscar in the first five minutes of the film, but looks like he would rather escape to his movie trailer during the remainder. I would be interested to see what movie he was set to film next, because he is obviously concentrating more on that.

The other characters are cliches that are predictable and nauseating. Casting is an issue. Who casts some guy with a stumbling French accent to play the platoon leader and commander? And where was the possible love-story between Cage's charcter and the nurse going? Why was Christian Slater in this? His character isn't pivotal, and could have been played by anyone.

Had Windtalkers come out, say, five years ago, it might have been decent. But with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers paving the way before it, it simply can't stand up. In fact, it doesn't even come close to the historical accuracy and brilliant acting in both of those projects.

Rating:
Summary: Hollywood
Review: How disappointing! I expected the true story of the Windtalkers, and what I saw was a war movie with a white guy as the hero. Did the Nicholas Cage character even exist? Some of the fight scenes could have been shortened in order to give the background of the Navaho, how they were put into Indian schools as children and punished if they spoke their own language, how they struggled with whether or not to become code talkers, how they set up the code, and their life after the war. Some day someone should make a movie about the Windtalkers.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Cinematography, but poor acting and unrealistic battle
Review: I found this movie to be a major disappointment. The acting was terrible even by Nicolas Cage. The guy who played Ben Yahzee did a pretty good acting job, though.

The battle scenes were just terrible. The Japanese apparently couldn't hit the side of a barn while Cage takes out 3 standing out in the open from 75 yards with a hand gun. Many of the Japanese soldiers just ran up to get stabbed or shot. The bombs were too fiery; not realistic and I know as a former Artillery Officer. The bit where Yahzee and Enders trick the Japanese into thinking Enders is a prisoner; get real. A total joke.

On a bright note, I thought the cinematography, especially of the Arizona Desert with the bluffs was awesome. I'm glad that the Navajo were given credit for their service in WWII. It's just too bad that it couldn't have been a better movie.

Rating:
Summary: You're all just too critical
Review: Ok, so it delivered a lot less than it promised by the title; and yes it did have poor character development but your missing the big picture. This movie is NOT supposed to be about the codetalkers, its about Ben Yahzee and Joe Enders. Nicholas Cage deserves an academy award for his shockingly emotional performance, and John Woo did make the fighting more gritty and realistic than anyone thought he could so stop whining that this wasn't a boring historical drama about a group of people no even knows about and look at this movie in a different light.

Rating:
Summary: Saving Private Redskin.
Review: Dont bother.
Go see Antanarjuat(sic) The Ice Runner instead.

Rating:
Summary: Woo Whew!
Review: I usually love John Woo movies. This one was just OK, despite extremely realistic battle scenes. Main reason is that the promise of a movie about the Windtalkers was unfulfilled.This was a second-rate "reluctant buddies" movie, where one of the buddies just happened to be a Navajo. This movie reminded me ot the recent two Star Wars disasters -- all effects and very little character development. It's still watchable, mostly due to Woo's brilliant battle scenes, although it's certainly not for the squeamish.