 | |
List Price: $29.98 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 31821
Released: May 20, 2003 |
| Our Price: $4.89 |
| Used Price: $0.98 |
|
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
In the brutal World War II Battle of Saipan, Sergeant Joe Enders (Academy Award(r) winner*Nicolas Cage) guardsand ultimately befriendsBen Yahzee (Adam Beach), a young Navajo trained in the one wartime code never broken by the enemy, the Navajo Code. But if Yahzee should fall into Japanese hands, how far will Enders go to save the military's most powerful secret? John Woodirects this "exciting" (Premiere),
Description of Windtalkers (Special Director's Edition):
Having earned Hollywood's respect with blockbusters like Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2, Hong Kong action master John Woo lends his signature style to serious World War II action in Windtalkers. Recognizing the long-forgotten contribution of Navajo "code talkers," whose use of an unbreakable Navajo-language radio code was instrumental in defeating the Japanese, the film serves as an admirable tribute to those Native American heroes. Unfortunately, it falls short of importance with its standard-issue story about a battle-scarred sergeant (Nicolas Cage) assigned to protect a code-talker (Adam Beach, from Smoke Signals), with unspoken orders to kill him if Japanese capture is imminent. This allows for an involving drama of hard-won friendship, but cardboard supporting characters suffer in the shadow of nonstop action that's as repetitious as it is technically impressive. Windtalkers is best appreciated as a more substantial vehicle for Woo's trademark ballet of bullets. --Jeff Shannon
Windtalkers (Special Director's Edition) Reviews:
A shoot 'em up war flick with a twist 
2009-11-16 - 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.
Windtalker history is minimal 
2009-08-29 - 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.
Cage + Woo = Crap 
2009-08-25 - This movie should have been good. But of course you have over acting king of crap Nicholas Cage and he is directed by slow mo dove guy John Woo. I like the idea of the movie. It should have been and could have been much better but it gets a one star from me cause the first time I watched it I thought it was awful. I have went back several times to give it another chance and it is just as bad. This movie sucked.
Movie Review
2009-08-20 - The movie was pretty good. Graphics were very good. Authenticity was also good. However, it took a long time for the movie to get to me. It was almost three weeks from the time that I ordered it until the time it arrived at my door.
Not sure how to describe this film...
2009-08-12 - You already know who directed it and who the stars are. So, I won't bore you with already kinown info regarding this film. All I will say is this, I have watched war films for over 30 years and was somewhat disappointed with "Windtalkers". I was not sure how a director like John Woo would visualize this film with his particular flare... but he did a fair job, considering he ended up making this film a strict action film with very little drama or character study... Don't get me wrong, Woo is an awesome director, but this was not his film...
Nicolas Cage, is a good actor, but this was the most over the top performance I've seen him do... and was disappointed with that. I think he could have done better, especially with a better script.
Christian Slater, for me was way out of place in this film. He just was not believable or seemed like a real person, but just an actor playing a character... This was not Slater's film...
All in all... this film was somewhat of a let down. There is no realism to the sotry or the characters. There is not chemistry between anyone. The battle scenes were of the Woo shoot-em-up style, but were almost way too long and anti-climatic without the intensity or realisim of "Saving Private Ryan"...
This film story of Navajo codetalkers in World War 2 would have been way better with a Steven Speilberg type director and a more character driven script and a little less on the shoot-em-up action...
A so-so film... nothing more, nothing less than that!
