Windtalkers

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</TABLE></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> .</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="575"><div> Windtalkers *** (R) </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By Pam Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> A code never broken</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Nicolas Cage: Joe Enders </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Adam Beach: Ben Yahzee  </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Christian Slater: Pete "Ox" Anderson </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Roger Willie: Charlie Whitehorse  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Noah Emmerich: Chick </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Mark Ruffalo: Pappas </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Peter Stormare: Hjelmstad</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Brian Van Holt: Harrigan </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Martin Henderson: Nellie</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Fances O'Connor: Rita</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> John Woo: Director</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: Action explodes off the screen in this story of World War II Marine Corps Navajo code talkers and the Marines assigned to protect them. A surprisingly intimate portrayal of war amidst the firepower and close hand to hand combat.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> About 400 Navajo Marines were eventually assigned as code talkers in the Pacific Arena during WWII. Based on the Navajo language, this code was the only one never broken by the Japanese, and is credited with being indispensable in winning the war. <I><B>Windtalkers</B></I> is the story of four men who meet on the battlefield and change each other's lives forever.</div> <bR> <div> The solemnity of Navajo land, where Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) says goodbye to his family, gives way to close hand to hand combat in the Solomon Islands, where the enemy springs from the underbrush. A fierce and bloody fight takes place and in the hail of bullets Joe Enders' (Nicolas Cage) squad is killed in the attack; he survives, suffering a blow to his head, which severely damages his ear and impairs his hearing. </div> <bR> <div> A shell-shocked Enders recuperates at the hospital, cared for by Rita (Frances O'Connor), a nurse who is obviously interested in forming a relationship with him. Even though he's an emotional, psychological and physical wreck, Enders is anxious to get back to the front lines, perhaps to assuage his guilt for having lived.</div> <bR> <div> At the same time Yahzee and his friend Charlie Whitehorse (Roger Willie) are in training to utilize their Navajo language as code for communication between units on the battlefield. They will transmit coordinates, troop movement, orders, whatever information is needed but must not be known by the Japanese. Whitehorse says that among the Navajo they are called "windtalkers." The Navajo Nation approved of Adam Beach's portrayal of Yahzee, even though he is not a Navajo; he is Native American, from Canada.</div> <bR> <div> Enders is released for duty and is sent to the Island of Saipan, on special assignment. His orders are to guard the code talker assigned to him, Yahzee. He's to keep Yahzee safe, but if they are in danger of capture, he is to "protect the code, at all costs." His orders are clear, Yahzee must not be taken alive. </div> <bR> <div> Ben meets Ox Anderson (Christian Slater) while waiting to be called into action on Saipan. Anderson, a friendly openhearted guy, has the same assignment as Ben and he is waiting for his partner Whitehorse to arrive. The four men come together, with only Enders and Anderson knowing the complete truth of the mission. Enders is war weary and at times in terrible physical pain. He has no desire to forge a friendship with the affable Yahzee. Anderson and Whitehorse, however, strike a chord together in an unusual way. </div> <bR> <div> Orders to move out eventually come and what leaps off the screen next is a reenactment of the 1944 Battle of Saipan <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT> relentless, horrifying warfare. Which side has the upper hand changes suddenly and frequently. Sometimes the battle is up close with enemies spilling blood in the same ditch. Sometimes bodies are blown apart in a minefield. </div> <bR> <div> Squad leader, Gunnery Sgt. Hjelmstad (Peter Stormare), represents tough Marine authority here. Mark Ruffalo is Pappas, who hyperventilates when things get hot. Nellie (Martin Henderson) is a newlywed kid who worries about his wife. Brian Van Holt plays Harrigan, a surfer from Florida. And Chick, played by Noah Emmerich, is a "good ol' boy" Texan, with a racist streak, who says he can't tell the Indians from the Japanese. His attitude was shared by a number of soldiers, which was another reason to have the code talkers protected <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT> to keep them from what is now called "friendly fire." </div> <bR> <div> Within this longitude fragile bonds are formed, created by the need for dependence, the threat of death, or perhaps just the human condition of the need for caring.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: John Woo has created a battle zone, both within his characters and the world outside of them. The screen explodes with firepower. Director of photography, Jeffrey Kimball, is responsible for creating the sweeping battle scenes, coordinating the efforts to make you feel you are "in the war," not merely an observer. Kimball worked with Woo on <I><B>Mission: Impossible 2</B></I>, which features that balletic car chase with Tom Cruise and Thandi Newton. </div> <bR> <div> Authenticity ranks high with Woo and costume supervisor Nick Scarano researched the history of the WWII uniforms for both the Marines and the Japanese. Eventually, 1,300 Marine and 1,000 Japanese uniforms were made. Scarano found that the Marines were the last soldiers to be issued uniforms, therefore, theirs were mismatched and ill-fitting.   </div> <bR> <div> Seeing Frances O'Connor recently in <I><B>The Importance of Being</B></I> <I><B>Earnest</B></I>, she is wasted here as Rita, the only role that does not ring true. Enders never responds to her in person or to her letters. He wants no contact, no human interaction or compassion.  </div> <bR> <div> Bombastic sound and the feel of real life make this an exciting film to watch. <I><B>Black Hawk Down</B></I> and <I><B>We Were Soldiers</B></I> are two recently released movies depicting the horrors of war. Within the din of war it is possible to experience a sudden, almost peaceful calm.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div>   Rated R (Pervasive graphic war violence, & for language)</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Pam Singleton © 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>pam@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 57 WIDTH="286"><div> Nicolas Cage: <I><B>Captain Corelli's Mandolin; Gone in Sixty Seconds, Bringing Out the Dead</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Adam Beach: <I>Smoke Signals</I>, TV roles & look for him in several upcoming films </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Christian Slater: <I>The Contender, 3000 Miles to Graceland</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Roger Willie: Debut performance</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 76 WIDTH="286"><div> Peter Stormare: <I>Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Armageddon</I></div> <div> Noah Emmerich: <I>The Truman Show, Frequency</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Mark Ruffalo: <I>You Can Count on Me, The Last Castle</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 ><NOBR><div> Brian Van Holt: <I>Black Hawk Down</I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Martin Henderson: <I>Kick </I>(Australia), US film debut</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Frances O'Connor: <I>The Importance of Being Earnest, A.I.</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> John Woo: <I>Mission: Impossible 2, Face/Off, Broken Arrow</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>