Windtalkers
| Video Review
|
 |
| Title: |
Windtalkers |
| Publisher: |
MGM Home Entertainment
|
| Format:
|
DVD |
| Rated:
|
R |
| Reviewed By: |
Frank Fogg |
| Review Date: |
January, 2004 |
| Rating: |
1/2 |
Although somewhat lacking in historical
accuracy, Windtalkers is still enjoyable to watch and is jam-packed with plenty
of action. This DVD version includes both standard and wide-screen versions
and special feature sections expected in modern DVD releases.
Windtalkers
is the story of several Navajo Indian codetalkers that are trained to use their
language to send highly sensitive messages over the radio during wartime. In
another sense, it highlights the deep cultural difference between the Navajo
and Caucasians during this era and the bravery with which all Native Americans
fought during the war.
Be warned! Windtalkers is a slugfest of violence. Virtually none of the characters
survive the movie and the death toll runs into the thousands as it grinds on
toward the end. While some movies are rated R for strong language or some violence,
much of the combat action is extremely graphic, and there is a LOT of combat
action in this movie. Perhaps the only movie I've seen with more blood and guts
is Starship Troopers.
Although the extreme violence in this movie makes it pretty grim, it also provides
a flavor of the bitterness with which the conflict was fought. Most of the combat
scenes are set in the Solomon Islands and Saipan campaigns and you have a front
row seat for most of the movie. Unlike many modern war stories, this one does
not make a big political statement, relying instead on spinning several small
personal tales against a background of bloodshed.
Viewers expecting a sanitized version of war will be highly disappointed with
Windtalkers. It's bloody, brutal and grim, much like war itself. Although not
entirely accurate in its telling of the story, it still leaves the viewer with
a sense of the conflict on a personal level.
