Windtalkers
Added 3/19/2010
WWII. Joe Enders, a decorated Marine who is by-the-book to a fault, is just coming back on duty by cheating on his medical tests. "Ox" Anderson, much greener, is also getting the same new task, Protect the Navajo codetalkers (Ben Yahzee and Charles Whitehorse, respectively). While Enders is initially frustrated with his assignment, his respect grows as the codetalkers prove their worth in the brutal battle to take Saipan. This is another war movie with modern technology the viewers get to experience some very realistic action scenes. The main thing is that the story is interesting. With a John Woo-directed film, you know are going to get tons of action, almost always too much, and that's the case here. However, some of the scenes are fantastic. You also get some beautiful cinematography. Still on the positive, the acting is good with Nicholas Cage in the lead role and a good supporting cast. The story, although fairly long at 134 minutes, was never boring. Anyway, it's a good action movie that certainly entertains. The intense and long action makes it almost too much to watch in one viewing.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Director John Woo
Added 2/1/2010
Action packed movie. Battle scenes were masterfully directed by John Woo. Blu-ray picture and sound are awesome.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Great at times, but a little uneven
Added 1/23/2010
I have seen this movie several times and I just finished the blu ray version, which is nice. There are moments of war movie "greatness" in this picture. The opening scenes in the Solomons with close quarter bayonet fighting are well done. The opening scenes of the invasian of Saipan are also great with an impressive eye for detail in regards to the scope of the battlefield. You can see Corsairs flying low and dropping their payload on Japanese bunkers. The fighting is intense and both armies take heavy losses in an intense confrontation. Towards the end of the movie the Japanese pull out heavy cannons that level Sherman tanbks at will, its great footage. The acting is well done too. But the problems are someimes hard to overlook. Too many times Japanese guys have Cage and his Navejo code talkers surrounded only to be shot to smithereens. In one scene towards the end, Cage uses his pistol to shoot 4 guys in an instant with their guns drawn. Not likely. And you can only see so many scenes where a grenade goes off sending 2 or 3 soldiers flying 10 feet in the air. This movie has a high body count and plenty of carnage, it isn't as concentrated as Saving Private Ryans first 30 minutes, however it easily tops that movie in overall killing. The story of the Indian code talkers and their role in the Pacific War is finally displayed here. I would rate this movie somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. It could have easily gotten 5 if it was tightened up a bit. I give it 4 for the great scenes and the fact that the Pacific war has so few movies for some reason. Here are some that you may know and some you may not.
The Battle Of Okinawa- a Japanese movie from 1971 very good
Letters From Iwo Jima- One of my favortes- Ken Wattanabe is great
Kukudo- An Australian movie, interesting, but not always accurate
Flags Of Our Fathers- Very good
Planetes Yamato- a good movie about the Yamato and its suicide mission at Okinawa- Japanese
I go die for you- A movie about the kamikaze- Japanese
A Thin Red Line- I like this one, but not everyone does. Good battle scenes
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
A shoot 'em up war flick with a twist
Added 11/16/2009
This is a pretty standard action combat film, with the sole innovation that the plot focuses on the contribution that the Navajo windtalkers made to the War in the Pacific. Here, the windtalkers are rightly shown as dedicated Marines, fine young lads making a unique contribution. The combat scenes, while unrealistic from numerous technical perspectives, are well-done most of the time. The film would have done better to engage in more characterization of the windtalkers themselves. We never really get to know them, but the glimpses that this film affords the viewer seems to show that if it had gone further down this road this could have been an outstanding film.
The film to its credit does a serviceable job of at least acquainting the viewer with the invaluable service that these Navajos gave to America. These were clearly some of America's finest young men who answered the call at a fateful time in the nation's history.
Overall this film holds the viewer's interest, but more characterization, focused on the Navajos themselves, would have been welcome. RJB.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Windtalker history is minimal
Added 8/29/2009
When I first heard about this movie, I couldn't wait to see it. I even broke the "let's wait until it is on video" rule we have in our family and went to see it in the movies. Having studied the Navajo codetalker's history , I couldn't believe how minimized their contribution was in the film.
Instead of a history on how this program came about, the selection of the participants or in indepth look at how they fared afterward, we get "treated" to a poorly filmed movie about Nicholase Cage and Christian Slater. Big deal. I kept saying throughout the movie," and when are we going to focus on the navajo codetalkers?" A huge hype for a mediocre action film. Not worth your time.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Windtalkers
Added 3/19/2010
WWII. Joe Enders, a decorated Marine who is by-the-book to a fault, is just coming back on duty by cheating on his medical tests. "Ox" Anderson, much greener, is also getting the same new task, Protect the Navajo codetalkers (Ben Yahzee and Charles Whitehorse, respectively). While Enders is initially frustrated with his assignment, his respect grows as the codetalkers prove their worth in the brutal battle to take Saipan. This is another war movie with modern technology the viewers get to experience some very realistic action scenes. The main thing is that the story is interesting. With a John Woo-directed film, you know are going to get tons of action, almost always too much, and that's the case here. However, some of the scenes are fantastic. You also get some beautiful cinematography. Still on the positive, the acting is good with Nicholas Cage in the lead role and a good supporting cast. The story, although fairly long at 134 minutes, was never boring. Anyway, it's a good action movie that certainly entertains. The intense and long action makes it almost too much to watch in one viewing.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Director John Woo
Added 2/1/2010
Action packed movie. Battle scenes were masterfully directed by John Woo. Blu-ray picture and sound are awesome.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Great at times, but a little uneven
Added 1/23/2010
I have seen this movie several times and I just finished the blu ray version, which is nice. There are moments of war movie "greatness" in this picture. The opening scenes in the Solomons with close quarter bayonet fighting are well done. The opening scenes of the invasian of Saipan are also great with an impressive eye for detail in regards to the scope of the battlefield. You can see Corsairs flying low and dropping their payload on Japanese bunkers. The fighting is intense and both armies take heavy losses in an intense confrontation. Towards the end of the movie the Japanese pull out heavy cannons that level Sherman tanbks at will, its great footage. The acting is well done too. But the problems are someimes hard to overlook. Too many times Japanese guys have Cage and his Navejo code talkers surrounded only to be shot to smithereens. In one scene towards the end, Cage uses his pistol to shoot 4 guys in an instant with their guns drawn. Not likely. And you can only see so many scenes where a grenade goes off sending 2 or 3 soldiers flying 10 feet in the air. This movie has a high body count and plenty of carnage, it isn't as concentrated as Saving Private Ryans first 30 minutes, however it easily tops that movie in overall killing. The story of the Indian code talkers and their role in the Pacific War is finally displayed here. I would rate this movie somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. It could have easily gotten 5 if it was tightened up a bit. I give it 4 for the great scenes and the fact that the Pacific war has so few movies for some reason. Here are some that you may know and some you may not.
The Battle Of Okinawa- a Japanese movie from 1971 very good
Letters From Iwo Jima- One of my favortes- Ken Wattanabe is great
Kukudo- An Australian movie, interesting, but not always accurate
Flags Of Our Fathers- Very good
Planetes Yamato- a good movie about the Yamato and its suicide mission at Okinawa- Japanese
I go die for you- A movie about the kamikaze- Japanese
A Thin Red Line- I like this one, but not everyone does. Good battle scenes
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
