Customer Reviews

Windtalkers (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(54)

 

 

The premise of "Windtalkers" is actually quite good, and loosly based upon actual WW2 history. What's true is that the US Marines did use Navaho speakers to code messages in the Pacific theater of action. The second premise of the movie, namely that they were assigned individual guardians (in this movie, Nicholas Cage and Christian Slater) to kill them if they were being captured, I'm not so sure about. I guess, as John Woo has it, that's why if there was a battle, these guys were right in front begging to be captured.

The movie starts out with a nice idea, but is utterly destroyed by the movie's lack of realism and unimaginitive plot, which buries the two Native Americans in a stunningly shallow film in which they are seconds. As best I can tell, Hollywood has decided that war movies fall into one of two categories: Private-Ryan realism or "Pearl Harbor" shazaam-special effects. "Windtalkers" plants itself firmly in the latter category - a Pearl Harbor with Marines.

Granades go of like miniature A-bombs, with big all consuming fireballs (which, of course, Marines get to outrun). Aircraft are cheezy digital things that fly like Starcraft space fighters. Uniforms are all wrong. The Japanese stupidly charge into our waiting guns. When people got shot, I thought of "Kill Bill"- you'll know what I mean. But that was camp and this is supposed to be serious.

We don't even get to like Nicholas Cage, a fine actor who has nothing to do but act anguished all the time (compare his nuanced performance in "Matchstick Men") and charge Japanese bunkers with his Thompson, which never misses and never runs out of ammunition, repeatedly like some faux-John Wayne. The two Navaho characters are noble and handled like wooden dolls.

The outdoor scenes look implausibly like the north coast of Kauai or the hills near Ventura - not Saipan. When the Marines storm a Saipan village, the villagers, apparently oblivious to the war up to that point, are still trotting about doing their village things. What did the Japanese extras think when they were doing this film? Or when one of the Navaho characters puts on a Japanese helment and sneaks behind the lines because he "looks Japanese?" We had better ideas than this on out 5th grade playground.

Parents: The movie is rated "R" for violence, and some language (one half hour of the Dave Chappelle show will bury this one). The violence is so comic-book that anyone over 11 can deal with it. To my surprise, my teenagers declared the movie incompetent after twenty minutes and returned to their homework.

The movie is definately worth the watch. It has good battle scenes and an interesting story and now conveniently it's on blu ray. If you havent seen it already feel free to do so.

I received this item in good time and good condition. If there every happens to be a chance to order any other product from this sender, I would not hesitate to order. This movie was ecellent. Thanks

i admit, it made me cry - but what ever happened to the lady nurse who helped Joe Enders pass his hearing test in order to be able to go back to war, and was writing him all the time? the characters are static, though the Navajos are slightly more dynamic; there was little background info. too much bombs and shooting throughout, and i especially did not like the melodramatic part when Enders killed Whitehorse along with the Japs and then told Yahzee,"I killed him. I threw a bomb and blew him up," acting so sarcastic, wanting to provoke and die. finally, the code language should have been featured more.

It is a well done typicall Hollywood movie but I have seen all this so many times. Everything is so predictable. The movie with such great actors as Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater doesn't have any material for them to work with. I was shocked that such inventive director as John Woo could make such lame movie. Not recommended.

First of all I will say that the importance of the concept for this film is necessary and much overlooked. The involvement of American Indians in war is sadly left out of too many history books.

I was hoping this film would be better than it turned out to be. The historical facts should be recoginized along side all of the other celebrations of war heroes. Sadly this film was a complete bomb. The direction was predictable and the action scenes could have been shot by a five year old boy playing "war hero" in the backyard, alot of noise and piles of dust and actors pretending to be dead. All this with the constant drone of a musical score best left for a karoke bar to hum along to.

And what happened to Nicolas Cage? He used to be a great actor with individual style and presentation. It seems that he just keeps slipping away. I just was not convinced of his "hero" ability in this film....and his death scene is almost the most horrendous I have ever witnessed, not for the gore or emotional impact, but because it was simply awful acting!

This DVD is not widescreen . And I need all my DVDs widescreen because I have a windscreen TV. Went to Hasting all of Windtalkers DVD are both widescreen and Fullscreen.
And I went back to my order from you and it show it was widescreen that was order.
What happen?

Everything is here for me to have a very enjoyable movie experience. Nic Cage, Christian Slater, John Woo, a war movie dealing with US Marines....so what happened.
Well the first thing is the technical errors. They just wont be tolerated anymore, not after Saving Pvt.Ryan,Black Hawk Down, and Band of Brothers. You have to get the uniforms right, and you certainly must get the battle scenes accurate. This film does niether. The battle scenes for the south pacific are very inaccurate as are these mish mashed uniforms. Realism went out the window.
Next we have the story of the Navajo code talkers which get very little play. Instead the main story revolves around the tormented Sgt.played (very well) by Nic Cage. It is an intresting character but Woo doesnt give even Cage the proper time and set-ups.
I cant help but wonder whats gone on with John Woo since coming to America. He has not matched the outstanding work he did in HongKong , let alone surpassed it. FaceOff is as close as he has come to his previous films. I wonder if the Hollywood system has had an adverse effect. Or has Mr. Woo just gotten tired?
I for one miss the "bullet ballets", the "over the top"melodrama, and the wonderfully metaphorical imagery. I will continue to hope that the great John Woo returns to his groundbreaking crime heroic/bloodshed movies of yesterday. Perhaps he should have a Tequila Pop and think about it.

A Captain of the Marines (Oscar-Winner:Nicolas Cage) during World War 2 is assigned to protect the Navajo Cipher (Adam Beach & Roger Willis), who they are the Codetalkers. They are Native Americans, whose job to protect the American Soldiers from the Japanese Enemies.

Directed by John Woo (Browne Arrow, Face/Off, Hard Target) who made a strong and unique War Picture about the Navajo Soldiers who were used the Protect Themselves, the Soldiers from the Enemies and to bring down their war strategies. Adam Beach is the stand-out of the film & Woo stages War Scenes and it becomes much more brutal as the film develops. We wish, We knew more about the Navajo Soldiers during that peroid, but the movie focuses more on Cage's Incompetency as a Leader. The film is Centainly Different from previous War Pictures. DVD has an terrific anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan), and an sharp Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Alternate DVD runs more than 20 Mintues in a Three Disc Set. All in All, I enjoyed this movie trememdously because of the Acting, Directing and the Story. Super 35. Grade:A-.

This is all out WWII action ! If you have a T.V. bigger than 19 inches plugged into surround sound with a much needed subwoofer you will not be disapointed ! Go read a book if you need factual events. First Cage film I have liked. Now go see, "WHEN TRUMPETS FADE". Don't forget the home theater!