The World's Fastest Indian
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.74 You Save: $7.20 (48%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.94 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The World's Fastest Indian
Movie Review: The Kiwi and the Indian: A Love Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Burt Munro was a man who had many loves: women, speed, things mechanical, tinkering, life itself and perhaps most passionately and enduringly his ancient Indian motorcycle. This film lovingly chronicles Burt's pursuit of the seemingly impossible dream inspired by his Indian, and the amazing quest which took him from the village of Invercargill, New Zealand to the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah.
Director Donaldson tells Burt's feel good story in a straightforward and unemotional manner, with many of the scenes being filmed on location in Invercargill and at Bonneville. Anthony Hopkins is so perfectly cast that he seems to become Burt. His interviews while promoting the film made it clear how much he enjoyed the role and respected Burt's achievements; the Kiwis who knew Burt were very pleased with his faithful portrayal in his film. The supporting cast also does an excellent job, although in all probability the only other individuals recognizable to most moviegoers will be Diane Ladd as Ada and Bruce Greenwood as Jerry, who helps Burt overcome the resistance he encounters when he arrives at Bonneville with a vehicle which breaks all the safety rules. In addition, deserving special mention in a brief appearance as Tina is Chris Williams.
The director very intelligently decided to provide several humorous moments and a lot of casual humor to keep the approximately two hour long movie moving at a reasonable pace. The natural tension inherent in several obstacles Burt had to overcome (e.g. his lack of financial resources, the aforementioned mentioned problems before being allowed to race his vehicle, a heart condition which landed him in the hospital) are wisely handled in a summary way; after all, everyone in the audience already knows the reason why the film was made is because despite his limited resources and working entirely on his own Burt was successful in converting his motorcycle which was originally not built to exceed 54 MPH into THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN.
My five star rating for this film is not based on the fact that I think it is a great movie; in fact, it left several unanswered questions to which I hope that further research will provide some answers. And I certainly wish it had managed to incorporate more of the wonderfully scenic New Zealand countryside where Burt lived. Rather, my rating is based on the engaging manner in which this film tells Burt's tale; he captivated me just as he eventually managed to captivate almost everyone with whom he came in contact, even those individuals who didn't share his belief in himself or perhaps considered him a little crazy. In summary, I highly recommend this story of perseverance and achievement for everyone willing to spend a few hours with Burt as he pursues his dream to its satisfying and highly emotional conclusion. (The director's genius was in recognizing that the story itself would provoke most moviegoers into cheering wildly or crying tears of joy with Burt before his time in Bonneville is finished, no cinematic tricks or artificial plot devices were necessary.) It is truly awe inspiring to realize that many of the records which Burt set still survive today, and thus his machine is not only still THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN but remains unbeaten by all engines in its category.
Tucker Andersen
Movie Review: A movie worth seeing over & over
Summary: 5 Stars
"If you don't take any risks in life, Thomas, you might as well be a vegetable."
"A vegetable? What kind of vegetable?"
"I don't know. Let's say a cabbage. You'd be a cabbage. Yes, that's it. A cabbage."
The Boston Globe review from Feb. 3 called "The Fastest Indian" a fish-out-of-water story, but I would never call it that. Based on a true life story, Anthony Hopkins does a convincing job capturing Burt Munro, an 60-something New Zealand tinkerer so incredibly devoted to making his Indian Scout run faster that he sleeps, eats, works and lives in a cement bunker of a workshop tool shed he calls home. The opening scene makes you love the movie instantly. ... A dolly shot that follows shelves upon shelves full of cast-off pistons. Handwritten in white chalk on these dark alters are the words "Offerings to the God of Speed".
This is a road trip movie combined with high speed thrills and characters that leap off the screen. You find yourself rooting for an old man's ambition to realize a dream and to fight the authority figures that always seem to thorn his side. That's the thing about authorities. They are kill joys.
Burt Munro was as frugal as the late Fred Tausch. A guy who'd use a cork from a bottle of brandy to plug his tank. Unlike the Globe review, I won't spoil the movie for you by telling you too much. The paper gave this movie only 2½ stars, but I'd give it top rankings because the movie breaches the full arc of human emotions: there's plenty of humor, anger, love, surprise, suspense, fright, defeat and triumph. There's also some adrenalin. Never a dull moment, any non-biker can relate and will love this movie too.
Burt's lifelong dream is to get to America for Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah -- "holy ground" -- as Burt calls it. For Burt, this place is Mecca. He just wants "to see how fast she'll run flat out."
The time is in the late `50s. Enough entertaining events take place before the movie starts picking up speed when Burt arrives in Los Angeles, where he gets more than his fair share of culture shock. The high contrast between Burt's down-home New Zealand nature and the harsh and seedy qualities of "Hollyweird" clash head-on, with colorful characters leaving no room for doubt.
From the first step Burt makes into the U.S. on his road trip, all the way to the movie's feel-good resolution, Burt is hampered and hooked and hung up with a chain of authoritarian impediments. You feel his grave disappointments and you feel his resolve to not let anyone stop him from seeing "how fast she'll run". His machine is ancient. It cannot pass inspection. The laughing officials doubt that Burt's bike will reach 70 mph. "Your suspension was old 20 years ago." He's got no `chute', no brakes, no fire-retardant suit, no high-speed tires.
Finally, it's Burt's kind Down Under charm, his mechanic's smarts, and sky-wide determination that thaws the officials and wins the day. Maybe every 25 years a movie this meaningful to motorcyclists comes along. A movie so good, it's worth seeing over and over again.
As Burt says about riding fast, "You live more in five minutes going flat out in one of these things than most live in a lifetime."
Victor Cruz
Movie Review: A genuine crowd pleaser in the best sense of the word!
Summary: 5 Stars
The World's Fastest Indian is a fictionalized account of Burt Munro (Hopkins) from Invercargill, New Zealand, who personally modified his old 1920s Indian Scout 45 motorcycle into a 200 mph record-breaking machine. The film follows his journey to the United States where he broke the world land speed record for motorcycles with engines less than 1000cc at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the late 1960s.
Anthony Hopkins brings a grizzled optimism to the role. Despite the various obstacles that are put in his path, Burt perseveres with a boundless sense of wonderment but it doesn't feel like a one-dimensional performance. On the contrary, it feels very heartfelt and quite moving once Burt gets close to realizing his dream.
Hopkins is supported by a strong cast of character actors that include the likes of Diane Ladd who makes a welcome appearance as a kind lady that helps Burt along his way to Utah. Chris Lawford plays a fellow racer who uses his pull to get Burt into the competition and does such a great job in the role that you'd swear he really was a professional driver. The Shield's Walt Goggins also makes an appearance as one of the car enthusiasts who befriends Burt in Utah and it is nice to see him play such a different role.
The World's Fastest Indian swells in its national pride for New Zealand with scenes like the whole town, even the motorcycle gang that bested Burt, there to see the man off when he heads for the U.S. Fortunately, Donaldson plays it down in an understated way. The patriotism is there just not in your face. Burt's irrepressible enthusiasm mirrors the film's own which makes it something of anarchism in these jaded times. It evokes another biopic about an idealistic automotive dreamer, Tucker, Francis Ford Coppola's tribute to car manufacturer Preston Tucker. We need films like The World's Fastest Indian because they remind us of the innovative spirit and the persistence to realize one's dreams.
"Making of The World's Fastest Indian" takes a look at this year-in-the-making project. Cast and crew speak enthusiastically about the subject matter and Donaldson who has been obsessed with Burt and his achievements for many years.
There is an audio commentary by director Roger Donaldson. The director points out what in the movie is based on fact and what was fictionalized for dramatic purposes. Donaldson is not only an expert on Burt but also a motorcycle aficionado, delivering an extremely informative track.
There are four deleted scenes, including Munro's increasingly bad health that parallels the worsening condition of his car while heading for Utah.
In a really nice touch, Donaldson's 1971 documentary, "Burt Munro: Offerings to the God of Speed" is included. There is great footage of Burt in action and also of him telling some really good stories without a hint of ego. He comes across as a passionate man and watching this doc gives you an appreciation for how well Hopkins depicted him in the film.
Finally, there is "Southland: Burt's Hometown of Invercargill," an unabashed promotional ad of the beautiful-looking city that Burt hails from. This is strictly travelogue material intended to bolster their tourism.
Movie Review: "What are you staring at? Dirty old men need love, too."
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing that Anthony Hopkin's bravura performance in The World's Fastest Indian didn't merit more of an Oscar consideration. The movie features one of Hopkin's all time great performances. One can only wonder why the Academy overlooked this small gem of a movie when it was released in theatres.
Although only occasionally trite - which may be a bit much for some viewers - there is a real nail-biting suspense as we witness the eccentric New Zealander Burt Munro (Hopkins) travel to America with his soaped up 1920's Indian motorcycle in the hopes of breaking the world's land-speed record in 1967 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah
The movie is great entertainment, beautifully directed by Roger Donaldson and features Mr. Hopkins in an endearingly gruff and off-kilter performance that is sure to win both hearts and minds. Bert is determined not to let his infirmities deter him from achieving his dreams - he has a bad "ticker" and prostate problems - and he lives in the pretty isolated southern New Zealand town of Invercargil.
Bert's a crusty old guy with a big dream, endlessly tinkering in the garage of his eyesore of a home and drinking tea with an adoring young neighbor (a very cute Aaron Murphy). He's obsessed and absentminded and his neighbours are exasperated by his unmowed lawn and all the early morning hammering, but there's something magical about him too, and when he sets out on his journey, working his passage in a steamer, he ends up getting a teary send-off.
Armed only with naiveté and good-natured optimism, he meets a variety of eccentric characters along the way - including a kindly drag queen, a latino used car salesman, a lonely lady who invites him into her bed, a fresh-faced soldier on leave from Vietnam and a real live Indian who helps Bert out on the road and gives him a natural remedy for his prostate problems. There's something to be said for this charming senior - and enthusiastic lover - who overcomes one obstacle after another to go an impossible distance.
Upon reaching the Utah racing ground, Burt is faced with seemingly intractable obstacles. It looks as though bureaucracy is going to get the better of him - the official registration date was months earlier, and his motorcycle has none of the required safety features. But with the help of Jim Moffet (Chris Lawford), a gracious and kindly biker who's on good terms with the officials, the rules are bent, and Burt is allowed to race.
Donaldson directs this ironic, inspirational allegory without a single gimmicky, phony or contrived moment and the 60's period recreation is beautifully done. Hopkins is all-natural, really nailing the New Zealand accent - and in the process proves that it's all about watching the joy of a man who has nothing left to prove.
It's a charismatic and entirely internalized performance that sneaks up on you to deliver an enriching life lesson, that it's important to live life to the fullest and to follow your dreams. Mike Leonard June 06.
Movie Review: This Is A Movie To Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
I have just seen a little gem of a movie that is so wonderful and so uplifting, that I simply must say something about it. It's "The World's Fastest Indian," starring Anthony Hopkins in the true story about Burt Munro, a 60-ish man from New Zealand who owns a 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle, and, in the mid-1960's, travels to America with his Indian to fulfill his lifelong dream of setting a landspeed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The odds are against Burt every step of the way, as he has very little money, a heart condition, and virtually no knowledge of American customs. But Burt is such a likeable, upbeat fellow with such a great can-do attitude, that he perseveres, and makes many friends along the road to Bonneville with his beloved "motorsickle." This is a truly outstanding movie that tells a truly inspiring story of a man who refuses to give up on his dream, and it's a great story that the entire audience can connect with, whether you're into motorcycles or not. It's got a great script (with *many* memorable lines, both funny and touching), and it's brilliantly directed by Roger Donaldson, with Anthony Hopkins simply charming, delightful, and magnificent as Burt Munro. The only other big names you may know in the cast are Diane Ladd as a lonely widow, and comedian Paul Rodriguez as a car salesman who both meet Burt during his journey. Both are excellent in their supporting roles, as are the rest of the cast, who are primarily unknown actors, but they all shine, too, giving their very best next to Hopkins by playing such a terrific array of colorful, memorable characters that Burt meets along the way. And although there are really only a handful of racing scenes in the movie, when they do come, they are truly adrenaline-pumping.I saw "The World's Fastest Indian" at my local art-house movie theater, where it played for nearly three months on pure word-of-mouth power. I loved the film so much that I saw it four times. And all four times, as previous reviewers have remarked, the audience broke out in applause at the end. This movie is such a winning, inspirational crowd-pleaser, and it's one of those rare movies that anybody and *everybody* can like and get something out of. And let me say to you once again that you do not have to be a motorcycle enthusiast to appreciate this film. Because, in the end, "The World's Fastest Indian" is not about the motorcycle. It's about the man, his dream, and his incredible journey to fulfilling that dream. "The World's Fastest Indian" is a movie to treasure. Congratulations to director Roger Donaldson, Anthony Hopkins, the rest of the cast and crew, and the winning spirit of Burt Munro himself for making one of THE greatest feel-good films of all time.