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Christian Slater (Murder in the First) plays the plays the most likeable soldier in the film (though with the band he had to compete with that’s not saying very much) Ox. Earnest, and sweet, his attempts to be the enlightened member of the squadron when speaking with the two Navajo officers are genuinely charming. Slater’s final scene in this film is the only one that allows him to demonstrate any of his acting, but sadly all of Slater’s abilities are overwhelmed by the absurd number of body parts hurtling through the air during his last moments. This is a part that could have been fantastic for Slater, but like his role in Murder in the First it’s not big enough, and it’s not in the right environment to launch him forwards into big-namedom where he belongs.. The poorly developed characters could have been overlooked, but I can’t let the INCREDIBLY tasteless style and script go by without comment. I have been to a number of war films in my day, and like many of my fellow audience members, can grasp the fact that war is brutal without having to sit through people’s knees being blown off for my amusement. Blackhawk Down is a violent film. The Thin Red Line is another. With both of those however, what sticks with you is the story, and the people. I remember Ron Eldard’s moments in Blackhawk Down when he was fighting against capture. I remember Jim Caviezel’s moments in The Thin Red Line running from enemy soldiers. The only snapshots I have from Windtalkers are the nausea-inducing ones. i.e During a battle scene, one of the band of soldiers gets shot. A friend leaps over a barbed wire fence to assist him, running across a dangerous field. He reaches the wounded man, and hoists him up over his shoulders. While running back to join his group, the rescuer gets shot in the back of both legs, and manages to hurl his friend over the barbed wire fence before becoming ensnared in it himself. That I could have dealt with. The fact that he was then used as a footbridge by soldiers on both sides to go up and over the fence was WAY too much. Amazingly that’s one of the tamer battle moments. Admittedly this story
is beautifully laid out, with breath-taking scenery. After 90 minutes of
elbows flying every which way that aren’t attached to any arms as they
take flight, you’re just too ambivalent to care about the awe-inspiring
mountain ridge that director John Woo is displaying. It’s just a GIRL’S
opinion, but I think that the message of war being horrible is better displayed
through character development, and a good story (how many years was it
that M*A*S*H was
on the air?) not through leaving the audience with the thought that the
film crew didn’t want to let one spare drop of fake blood go to waste.
It’s a shame really, because the story of the Native Americans' part in
World War II is an incredibly powerful one. In John Woo’s hands however,
this story of potentially unlimited strength means absolutely nothing to
the audience.
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Windtalkers
is a historical drama set in World War II. It attempts to tell the story
of a lifesaving code that was used by the US military; the Navajo language.
Each “Windtalker” (Navajo officer) is paired with a member of the US Marines,
to be protected by them. But the code is the Marine’s first responsibility.
Should any of the “Windtalkers” be caught by enemy forces, their Marine
must kill them.
Nicholas
Cage (Snake Eyes, 8 MM) plays Joe Enders, a Marine guard
for “Windtalker” Ben Yahzee. Here is an actor that is capable of so much
emotion, lost in a role that’s too small for his abilities. He’s emotionless
and cold. During the first moments when I was being introduced to his character,
I found myself so overwhelmed by the gore that I wasn’t giving enough thought
to Enders. It’s difficult to decide whether or not you like a character
with blood spurting past you on screen every two seconds. There are some
moments where you almost get the sense that Cage was trying to sneak emotion
past the director, as bits of furtive rage come bubbling forth, but stop
far too quickly. Enders’ most likeable moment comes from choking a fellow
officer, instead of where it should have come from; some form of friendship
developing with Yahzee. Although there are some valiant efforts by Cage
to turn your opinion of Enders around in the second act of the film, ultimately
it’s just not enough to make you root for the character. Brilliant moments
of looking haggard and lost? Yes. Compelling moments of movie drama? No.