Windtalkers

Rating:
Summary: I rate it as"1 Star" because that 's the lowest I can go!
Review: This movie will appeal to someone who enjoys seeing staged explosions, and anyone without a military background who enjoys fantasizing about combat. You can be sure that no one with even rudimentary knowledge of history or WWII had anything to do with this production.

The dialogue is laughable. At one point, Nicholas Cage, who portays a buck sergeant, talks about losing men under his command. The trouble is, junior noncommissioned officers do not command by virtue of rank. That's common knowledge among anyone who ever served in the armed forces.

The battle scenes are ludicrous, with no historical or technical accuracy whatsoever. To boot, the main Navajo character comes cross as some sort of politically correct rube, sort of a cross between Forrest Gump and Tonto.

This movie is truly a hateful experience, and hopefully will be soon forgotten. Maybe sometime in the future, a good film will be made to commemorate these brave native Americans sans the comic-book visuals and dialogue.

Rating:
Summary: Not a convincing war film. Basic action flick at best!
Review: Over the past few years war film buffs like myself have been treated to some great movies. Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Band of Brothers, When Tumpets Fade, and We Were Soldiers are just a few of the amazing films out now. Sadly Windtalkers will never match any of those films. In fact I doubt you can even consider this film a "War" movie. Sure it is about WWII and focuses on the battle in the Pacific versus the Japanese but the film pulls off nothing more than a shoot-em-up action flick.
Windtalkers attempts to portray Nicholas Cage as a gung ho tough guy Marine who is in charge of escorting a Navajo "codetalker" in order to relay important information back to artillery, air strikes, etc... without the enemy breaking the code. The plot is a unique storyline and a topic not too well discussed before but the director never fully accomplishes much that is compelling to the story. Cage is his typical emotionless self and in my mind is a horrible actor. He had no business being in this film but it is my theory that director John Woo needed a big named guy to sell the film. Cage is flat throughout the entire film and never pulls off much to make his charater convincing. He is supposed to be a man struggling with the loss of his entire squad and being the sole survivor. He is supposed to be a strong old school military tough who is chosen to keep his "codetalker" safe and then subsequently kill him if the situation becomes precarious. Because of this Cage decides he does not want to get too close to his "codetalker" since he may have to kill him. But of course throughout the film Cage gets to know the "codetalker" and feels as though he could not kill him if the situation calls for it. This plot line was expected and plays out exactly as one would expect. No surprises at all here. The problem is Cage has absolutely no emotion and never seems close to anything in the film not even his character. The supporting cast, a roughshod bunch of Marines clumped to form his squad, also give horrible performances. Woo tries to play out racism through these characters but the conflict is so forced it is not convincing at all. The viewer never truly believes these Marines care that this guy is an indian at all. Also the war time drama never really gets anywhere especially at night when they sit around and reminisce about regular life "back home" but these scenes are so choppy and flat that you can't seem to find any emotion in these guys.
As for the action the film is impressive with it's effects. Woo is noted for his exciting action films and Windtalkers is quite exciting. The movie is dominated with intense combat scenes but realism is sacrificed for Hollywood flair. Cage becomes a poor mans Rambo and virtually shoots from his hip the entire film. Running through heavy fire men are dropping all around him and Cage simply sprays a few rounds and enemy soldiers drop all over. The worst was when he falls and while another man is on top of him he reaches for his 45 and fires aimlessly at a hill and 7 Japanese soldiers go down dead. What an impressive shot. Basically the battles were extremely intense and filled with little triumphs that Hollywood loves so much but comparred to Ryan or Band of Brothers this film doesn't have a chance with realism.
Overall I did not like this movie at all. The only compelling performances were the two main Navajo's and Christian Slater. The rest seemed like they had no clue what they were doing there and John Woo seems to have taken an interesting topic and crafted a cheesy action film around it. Had this film been in the hands of Spielberg perhaps we would have been treated to a more convincing and more compelling war story instead of this laughable Rambo wannabe.

Rating:
Summary: 3 Stars = 1 each for Cage, the Navajo Idea, & the Explosions
Review: I admire John Woo for taking a chance here on a WW2 film about the Navajo "code talkers". Too bad it just doesn't work on the silver screen. Sure, Woo implements lots of bang for the buck (computer generated airplanes coming right at you into your living room, lots of army men being hosed down with random bullet sprays, assorted stabbing and throat slashings, explosions galore), but the acting is dry and almost canned. I usually rave about Nicholas Cage... with such movies as "Moonstruck", "Raising Arizona", "Family Man", and "Leaving Las Vegas" to his credit. But since Cage has turned high roller with some of his movie picks... I just have to question who is reading these scripts when he accepts them? Cage is at his best in a comedy or playing an off the wall character. He's also a better actor with a good supporting cast around him. I'm starting to think that maybe Cage can't carry a film by himself. The only other household name here is Christian Slater - and what has he done in the last decade? With the exception of "Family Man", most of Cages recent flicks have been extremely dark and have for the most part missed the mark in Hollywood ("8MM", "Bringing Out The Dead", "Face/Off", "Gone In 60 Seconds"). In "Windtalkers", Cage plays the role of Sergeant Joe Enders assigned to protect at all costs a young Navajo code talker (Adam Beach). Christian Slater ("Ox") co-stars trying to do the same thing with another code talker... but all you see the sentimental Ox doing is playing his harmonica with the Navajo reedsman. Cage walks through countless explosions and infinite numbers of Japanese soldiers (all heavily armed mind you) day in and day out to guard, serve and protect his man... Sure, the storyline behind the idea of this movie is noble, but Woo should stick to his semi-brainless action movies that have brought him mild success (i.e. "Mission Impossible 2", "Broken Arrow", "Face/Off", "The Killer"). Replay value = Minimal.

Rating:
Summary: WINDTALKERS: Long on Spectacle--Short on Logic
Review: There were two big budget war films of 2002--WINDTALKERS and WE WERE SOLDIERS. The latter was unquestionably the finer of the two even though both had similar action sequences. What differentiates them was the presence and careful development of the theme of soldierly solidarity that was present in WE WERE SOLDIERS. Director John Woo stamps WINDTALKERS with his trademark over the top battle sequences of explosions, bullets flying, and bodies leaping. Nicholas Cage is Sergeant Enders, a man who is scarred mentally and physically even before the main action of the film begins. He alone has survived while his full platoon had been killed by the Japanese during World War II. He carries what he believes to be the scarlet letter of guilt on his burned ears and within his soul which requires frequent sake to soothe over if only for the moment. There is the hint of a romance with a navy nurse that intrudes in rather than enlarges upon his daily struggle to find equanimity. Of far more interest is his relation with a Navajo marine (Adam Beach)who is a 'codetalker,' one who speaks in a cryptic variation of his native Navaho tongue to confound eavesdropping English-speaking radio listeners. Enders and his Navajo share more than a buddy relation. As if Enders has not enough guilt to carry, he is ordered to shoot the Navajo if the Japanese are likely to take him prisoner and have the opportunity to torture him to learn the code. It is precisely here that WINDTALKERS goes seriously astray. Why would the top brass go to the trouble of training valuable codebreakers only to expose them at every chance to possible death or capture? Further, there are several scenes in which the Navajos use the code in situations that do not require code. In fact, had plain English been used in those situations, it is arguable that fewer American casualties would have resulted. What director Woo gives the viewer is a slam-bang action war film that delivers a high body count but a low level of logic. The insanity and illogic of actual war need not be replicated in movies about war. In this case, it was.

Rating:
Summary: Nick Cage at his Best
Review: Well, I must say that the action scenes in this movie were breathtaking, particularly the invasion scene and the radio takeover. However, Adam Beach, the actor who plays Ben Yahzee, is hot and cold throughout the movie. This was the role that Cage was born for, but he simply didn't fufill his potential in such a promising role. If not for that, I would have given it five stars. The story is great and brings to life the importance of the code that was never broken in the Pacific Theater.

Rating:
Summary: Old-style war melodrama with Woo-style action.
Review: If you were to write the plot out on a sheet of paper, this movie could have been made any time after WWII. It's a standard...standard as in "classic", not standard as in "routine". Granted, it tries for a bit more depth, but for the most part, it's one guy trying to protect another guy, and everybody has issues that for the most part are written on their forehead in crayon.
"So what?" I say. You always knew who John Wayne was, didn't you? John Ford's supporting cast was remarkably constant, as was the character each guy played. No big deal.
This time, the war movie classic gets the John Woo treatment, with flying bodies and bullets, huge explosions, and those operatic action sequences you've come to expect and love. Did I miss the doves?
This is not the modern war movie reinvented, it's an old-fashioned war movie updated. And as such I though it was pretty damn good!

Rating:
Summary: John Woo's brings Mission Impossible 2 Action to WW2
Review: This is probably the best action war movie i have seen in a long time in terms of all out gungho fighting scenes from the very beginning of this movie to the very end. 'We were soldiers' had alot of action in the second half of the movie but this one is non stop action...WOW!!! The director knows what action thriller fans want to see and he does a great job at it, like always. Granted, this movie is not about a in depth history on navaho indians wind talkers during WW2 and how they were groom into the corp, which is what everyone had expected to see and did not get. This is the reason why they criticize this movie soo much. I agree that i was looking forward to that too but it is also not fair to rate the movie based on that. This movie is about Nicolas Cage and yes it is very Hollywood, but so is Saving Private Ryan. Big Deal..I like hollywood movies and you don't like it, then don't watch it. If you were smart enough to see who directed it, you would've knowned it would be action pack which is what you get with Cage smack in the middle of it. Besides, i thought he does a good job protecting his windtalker, considering what he want thru in his last battles before getting injured. I like to see you do better. The visual is very good with convincing realism in the fighting scenes. The plot is a lacking but that is not the director strong point, but he knows how to make a great action war film, and this movie accomplished it so admireably.

If you like John Woo's Mission Impossible 2 action during a historic world war with excellent visual affects plus very grusome blood and body part scenes (on par with SPR Omaha Beach scene), then you will love this movie. If you prefer a good plot and more knowlegeble discussions on windtalkers, then read a book on it *roll eyes*.

I love MI2, and i love this movie, but i will give it only 4 stars because i do agree, the plot could've been better. Let's not make Nicolas Cage as a big hero like John Wayne in the Green Barets because he is no John Wayne. Nevertheless, he is still a good actor in my book.

Rating:
Summary: Not a war movie
Review: It seems to me that many reviewers on this site and many film critics did not like this movie because it does not discuss the Navajos as much as they thought it would and it is just not a good war movie. I agree with the first part; the title is a bit misleading. However, this is not a war movie. It is an action movie that has a war setting. The first clue to this should have been the director. John Woo is not Steven Spielberg. John Woo is not going to make the next Saving Private Ryan, but instead he is going to make an action flick, because that is what he is good at making. As a result, the plot is sometimes hokey, but the battle scenes are exceptional in terms of action and violence. Looking for a deep war movie in Windtalkers is like looking for an accurate depiction of the Navy in Under Siege.

Rating:
Summary: Great Plot+Great Cinematography+Great Actors=Only Ok
Review: I had seen the previews for this movie for months and couldn't wait for it to come out on DVD. It looked like it would be FANTASTIC! I mean how could it miss? It had a slew of big name actors - Nicolas Cage, Christian Slater, Adam Beach. It was directed by John Woo! It had a unique plot! It had great scenes! Unfortunately, all of this couldn't save the movie.

In case you don't know what the story is about-here goes. The scene is WWII. The Japanese continue to break the military's code for sending secret messages. The Governement determines they can use Navajo Indians to transmit messages in their native tongue. Turns out the Japanese never were able to break this code! So you would think the story would really focus on this extremely interesting story line. It doesn't. Although the story is about this it really focuses on the character of Nicolas Cage. He's a Marine that ended up leading a platoon and falling into some really bad times. He ends up responsible for one of the Navajo Coders. The story really focuses on Nicolas' ghosts and problems he is dealing with - that's NOT what I wanted to see! And his acting on this film was really flat. In fact the acting of most of the characters was pretty flat. To top it off, the film moved pretty slow too.

So, if you want to see some stunning war scenes, and just have to see Nicolas Cage, this is the movie for you. I had a hard time staying interested in this very slow moving film. Maybe the other aspects of it can keep you interested!

Enjoy...

Rating:
Summary: Horrible movie as "Pearl Harbor"
Review: There is only two suggestions to the director of the movie: 1) Stop using the SLOW-MOTION again, will you?! It's so bothering and disturbing just as the non-stop, totally unrelated background music playing on with those movies. 2) Is there any way that you could direct any movie that wouldn't have to waste so much dynamite and so many explosions? By watching the movies that you directed I only found out that there is no progress or improvment in the directing so far since those HongKong days but over-used old old montage techniques. The slow-motion frames on the screen and those explosions are only proofs that how bad a director would be and could reach. The costs of dynamite and stuntmen could be better used in making a better movie with better script and better casting. This time, there is no generation gap between me and my 25 & 15 years old sons, We all agreed that this movie ... big time.