Windtalkers

Rating:
Summary: John Wo(es): playstation characters and yawning...
Review: And then i suddenly i got the point! The nu-breed of Hollywood war films is based on the following recipe:
make the film look a playstation game where the "bad" guys (may they be Japanese, Arabs, Germans, whichever) jump appropriately around so they can be shot up, while the good guys advance to the next stage and have extra weapons too. Nice, real nice.
In this hilariously horrible film, John Woo shows us what he thinks of ridiculing history. Hey, there's no problem really of treating even a WWII massacre like that in the Japanese islands like his Mission Impossible flick. Is there?
There's also no problem with having Nicholas Cage act like Rambo either, no? Besides, if Cage himself doesnt mind playing in embarrasing films like that it's not Woo's fault, right?
But mr.Woo thinks that as long as he shows us loadsa gore, heads flying off, arms being shot to bits and the all the rest of it, he's gonna get the audiences flocking da theaters. Think again mr.Woo.
The digital planes bombing the bejeesus off the "Japs" are so obvious they reminded me the glory days of the Japanese version of the cardboard Godzilla. As did the fake explosions, in fact I've seen explosions in playstation games looking more realistic than those in the film.
The worst part? Forget the fact that dialogues are an insult to the very word "dialogue". Forget the fact that the characters themselves are pathetic caricatures seen only in D-movie disasters. Forget the fact that as history itself is concerned this film is as distanced from it as it could possibly be. But, man, couldn't mr.Woo at least have picked another instance from WWII history , one that at least did NOT involve the Navajo indians?????? Why insult them like that by putting lines in the Navajo character's mouth like: "I want to go to war to fight for my country"???? Uhm, werent the Navajos practically expterminated OFF their own country by those very people they supposedly would love to "fight for" in the film?
Mere details some will say. Of course. This is Hollywood, so no problemos if we insult this or the other ethnic group or tribe in the name of entertainment.
One of the worst films I've seen in a long time...

Rating:
Summary: Time for the Native Americans' contributions to be known!
Review: This movie brings the reality of war home like no other. Beginning scenes are reminiscent of the Viet Nam atrocities, but this was an earlier war with those dreaded Japs in 1944.

We learn of the enormous contributions our Native Americans' skill helped to deflect the enemy. We owe so much to the folks who really belong here, those who inhabited this country first. Indians are not all alcoholics or slow learners. There are some geniuses as in our Caucasian population.

The questionable loss of life in any war is so apparent here. Because the South conceded victory in 1865, the Southern soldier is portrayed as ignorant with his dialect, though he is proclaiming his pride in representing his country.

Some scenes of the fighting look identical to the Frank Sinatra movie, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. One shows a beautiful native American in a SOUTH PACIFIC paradise until he is confronted by an "ignorant" soldier from the South telling him, The only difference between you and the Japs is that uniform."

The Indian playing his wood flute accompanied by the GI on his harmonica is a moving interlude as we watch the jeeps transporting a battallion through the jungle, straight into an ambush by their own men. The main windtalker proudly shows a picture of his wife and son George named after the first president of the United States. He is a veritable Alvin York.

Such a waste of young American men who never reach the prime of their lives as all our wars succeed in doing. Our young men are sacrifices to unendurable agony and mental distress.

Nicholas Cage, though not possessing matinee idol looks, proves his worth as an actor. He gave a masterful performance.

The Indians were invaluable to the outcome of this war. It's too bad we put them into reservations and supplied alcohol to dull their memories and demean their achievements on behalf of this country.

This movie shows the realism of the devastation to the human spirit by war.

Rating:
Summary: Worst war movie ever
Review: Useless, rethoric & without plot.
Badly directed and cut.

Waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: Look at it as just entertainment
Review: For all the expectations and hoopla surrounding this film, I was never quite sure what the point was. As a war film, it's the usual Hollywood shoot-em-up-bang-bang extravaganza, with meatball waving Japanese soldiers and digital aircraft making precision bombing runs that even modern JDAM weaponry would be pressed to beat. As a story about the Navajo "windtalkers," it starts off decently and then sidetracks into an exploration of racial bigotry - not an unworthy subject, but it just hangs there.

Cage is Cage, proficient acting - but the character "Joe" could have been played by almost anyone - no serious dialogue. The story explored in the most depth, unfortunately, is Joe's - silently weighing whether to treat his "Windtalker" as a fellow human being, let alone a fellow Marine, or whether to treat him as a military commodity that must be kept away from the Japanese at all costs. Woo and Cage work their way through the usual Hollywood themes as the film meanders along.

All in all, not the best Woo film I've seen, and "We Were Soldiers" is much closer to real combat life. But, an entirely acceptable film, if you look at it as just entertainment - offers no special insight into the Navajo code effort, the military or the WW II in the pacific.

Rating:
Summary: Windtalkers Bloody Horror
Review: This movie is not an appropriate movie for teenagers or anyone who doesnt like violence or gore. Its far to bloody and gross in my opinion. Seeing some guy getting his head chopped off or people getting blown up is a sick thing to show.

Rating:
Summary: this IS NOT about the Najavo codetalkers; it's a war film
Review: The story behind this film is intriguing -- Navajo Indians were used as codetalkers in World War II; the Japanese never cracked the code. That's about the extent of what I learned about the Navajo codetalkers in this film. This was a gory, shoot-em-up war film, with plenty of Japs (conveniently identifiable by the twigs in their helmets) tumbling to the ground under American fire, lots of arms & legs being blown off, even a decapitation. The rumble of gunfire serves as background noise at all times. The Nicholas Cage character is meant to be an enigma -- he is neither particularly interesting nor particularly likeable,and his transformation (from skepticism of his Navajo assignee to respect for the Navajo) seems a bit too sudden. There are some breathtaking shots of Navajo country at the end of the film, but it's not worth sitting through the rest of the film to see. If you want a war movie, you won't necessarily be disappointed. If you want a history lesson, don't spend your money on this.

Rating:
Summary: Not a good movie
Review: I didn't like this movie at all because there was no character development and the battle scenes are not done to look realistic but seem to be constructed to show either explosions or men dieing in creative and dramatic ways. The movie never gripped me and it didn't to have any direction at times.

If you are thinking of buying this move do yourself a favor and rent it first.

Rating:
Summary: very disappointing . . .
Review: I rented this movie hoping to learn a bit more about the Navajo codetalkers that served in WWII. I didn't learn anything about the program at all. This movie is all about the fighting, and the acting during the fighting scenes stinks. I usually enjoy Nicholas Cage's films, but this one is definitely his worst. There is absolutely no character development and very little plot. Save yourself the time and money, and skip this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie but a Mediocre Tribute
Review: As a kid in the 1960's, before the advent VCR's, let alone DVD's, I would scour the TV listings for my favorite war films. One such favorite was "Battle Cry" (1955) staring the late Aldo Ray. In that film there is a cameo shot of a Native American sending a radio message that baffles a Japanese soldier intercepting the message who cannot understand the strange language he is hearing. My step-father, a navy veteran of the Pacific, told me that the Marines utilized "indians" (he did not specify Navajo) as radio operators because the Japanese could not understand their language (he also did not specify a "code"). John Woo's "Windtalkers" finally brings to the silver screen an awareness of the Navajo code talkers who played such a vital role in winning some of the bloodiest campaigns in the Pacific during World War II. I used the word "awareness" instead of "tribute" because any tribute to these brave men was buried beneath the dramatic storyline of the movie. The Navajo code talkers certainly deserve as fitting a tribute that other films depicting the contributions of American servicemen who were then considered racial minorities have bestowed on their subjects. Films such as "Go For Broke" [1951] (the story of the 442 Regimental Combat Team made up of Japanese-Americans, Neisai) and "Tuskegee Airmen" [1995] (the first fighter squadron comprised entirely of African-American piots) paid homage to these gallant, but, in 1940s America, socially unaccepted individuals. The Navajo "Windtalkers" did not get as good a voice as their African-American or Japanese-American comrades in John Woo's film.The plot centers around Sgt. Evers (Nicholas Cage), a tormented, battle fatigued marine who is assigned to protect Yahzee, a "Windtalker" (Adam Beach) and the code, no matter what. Christian Slater is also given the same assignment. Cage, who had previously gotten a squad of marines killed because he chose to follow orders to the letter, is excellent at portraying a man haunted by ghosts from the past. He is a loner, lives for the moment, avoids getting too close to people, including Beach, and goes berserk in combat, racking up the enemy body-count. Beach also does a fine acting job as Yahzee who must make the inevitable transition from naive patriotism to the horrible realities of war. Slater's character provides a contrast to Cage. He quickly becomes interested in Navajo culture, has plans for the future, and forms an emotional bond with his "Windtalker," named Whitehorse. Slater is not at his best in this film. His performance is the weakest among the cast. When Whitehorse is killed by Evers to avoid the code talker's capture, Yahzee's transition is complete as he seeks revenge on the enemy by taking on the evil personae of his protector, Evers. The film contains big battle scenes that are well done except the pyrotechnics are so overdone it becomes annoying. Every explosion, including those from hand grenades produce huge gasoline explosions; their mushroom clouds rising to the heavens. Historically, the main battles take place on the Japanese island of Saipan in June, 1944. Although the film never mentions it, our platoon of Marines probably belonged to the 2nd Marine Division. The 2nd attacked a well dug in Japanese position on high ground fortified with artillery and tanks as accurately shown in the movie. An old modus operandi in war films was to keep the unit being portrayed anonymous as not to offend other units such as the 27th Infantry Division (Army) and 4th Marine Division that also fought bravely on Saipan. Woo resorted back to this old tactic, but managed to insert a superimposed map to show the battle's progress. The computer graphics of American dive-bombers supporting the Marines added great realism.Directors of war films today are faced with the dilemma of drama versus historical depiction. With "Windtalker," Woo tried to combine both. Woo fulfilled his purpose but the Navajo code talkers deserve a better forum for their valiant efforts. A good movie but a mediocre tribute.

Rating:
Summary: Inaccurate and very silly...
Review: John Woo: possibly one of the greatest action directors. "Face/Off," "A Better Tomorrow," "Mission: Impossible 2," "Hard Target." All great movies. So why does "Windtalkers" stink to a new high level of stinkness? Well, it's not very exciting, it's terribly predictable, and it's just not that realistic. I must say, as much of a John Woo fan as I am, he just didn't do too well with this one. Nicolas Cage is miscast as a war-weary veteran assigned to protect a Navajo codetalker from getting captured by the Japanese. Christian Slater plays his expendable buddy and the movie flops around for a long two hours with cheery war action, lots of dying, and no resemblance to the realistic movies of recent history like "Black Hawk Down," "Band of Brothers," or even "The Thin Red Line." Heck, "Star Wars" is a more accurate war movie than this. I hope this is just a temporary setback for Woo, Cage, and Slater. They've all done much better.