‘Fastest Indian’ lacks octane
The World’s Fastest Indian
Screenplay written by: Roger Donaldson, inspired by the true
story of Burt Munro
Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Dianne Ladd, Chris Lawford
Directed by: Roger Donaldson (also
”
The Recruit
”
,
”
The Bounty
”
,
”
The Getaway
”
, etc)
Rated: (PG) Brief language, drug use and sexual reference)
‘Fastest Indian’ lacks octane
The World’s Fastest Indian
Screenplay written by: Roger Donaldson, inspired by the true story of Burt Munro
Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Dianne Ladd, Chris Lawford
Directed by: Roger Donaldson (also “The Recruit”, “The Bounty”, “The Getaway”, etc)
Rated: (PG) Brief language, drug use and sexual reference)
Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) is a sweet eccentric 68-year-old man living in New Zealand during the 1960s who has been tinkering in his garage with the Indian motorcycle he bought in the 1920s, culling out a machine and dream to possibly be the fastest of its class in the world. Except for his love of his bike and the loyal friendship of the boy who lives next door, Burt is a loner without much else in his life. But then his ambition to someday put his motorcycle to the ultimate test on the Bonneville Salt Flats in America becomes a pressing present goal when he has to face the fact that his health is failing him and time is running out. Making the long and arduous trek from New Zealand to Utah’s Salt Flats with the help of kind and supportive folks along the way, the sexagenarian pushes himself and his beloved Indian Motorcycle to pursue his dream of setting a land speed record as much for his own sense of a lifetime accomplishment as for the record itself.
He Said:
Putting aside my bias for having a real interest in vintage motorcycles and speed’s adrenalin rush, “The World’s Fastest Indian” is more about a man trying to fulfill a life-long dream before he knows he won’t be able to pursue it any longer. Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Burt Munro gave him an uncommonly endearing quality (not a trace of Hannibal Lector) that I realized I hadn’t seen in any of Hopkins’s memorable characters. That alone was interesting to watch unfold and elevated this simple plot to give it the needed texture to make the movie more than just an embellished docudrama.
You find yourself pulling for him and feeling the excruciating disappointment in every set-back, the strain to get over the next hurdle, and the satisfaction in finally approaching the goal. It was good to see a movie with motorcycles that was not a clique biker movie.
“The World’s Fastest Indian” was about one man’s journey that happened to involve a motorcycle, said the avid motorcyclist.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
5 for script (An enhanced docudrama)
7 for direction (Some good spots)
9 for acting (Hopkins carried it all the way)
6 for plot (Simple storytelling, less depth than could have been)
7 for entertainment value
6.8 overall
She Said:
I’m a bit conflicted. If it weren’t for Sir Anthony Hopkins’ tender and vulnerable performance as the congenial and determined ol’ grease-monkey and feeling his angst for the dream he was determined to fulfill, the motorcycle brand’s proud local pedigree, and how refreshing it was to have an older actor be such a hero, I would have been inclined to feel that “The World’s Fastest Indian” was just an above average film. Having said that, many of our readers should be attracted to see “The World’s Fastest Indian” for exactly those same reasons. Trivia: The character of Jim Moffett, a San Jose, California fellow racer that pleads Burt’s case with the Salt Flats officials is acted so naturally (too naturally?) by Chris Lawford. Yes, the same one born to Kathleen Kennedy and Peter Lawford who was the wayward Boston College drug addicted drop-out that became founder of the famous drug treatment clinic in Boston. Also, Burt Munro’s children visited the film set one day and Hopkins’ performance moved them to tears. But even with the quality of his acting, “The World’s Fastest Indian” was not particularly enthralling and even slow at times, so Burt Munro’s determined journey to fulfill his quest won’t necessarily be on my must-see movie list for our busy time-constrained readers.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
5 for script (A linear quasi-travel log, historically based, but tenderly embellished)
6 for direction (Good at times, and so-so at other times)
8 for acting (Hopkins, 9, others, 7)
5 for plot (A little too one-dimensional)
6 for entertainment value
6.0 Overall
