| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Windtalkers (2002) |
| Director | John Woo |
| Screenplay Writer | John Rice, Joe Batteer |
| Based on | Real Navajo Code Talkers |
| Lead Actors | Nicolas Cage |
| Cast | Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach |
| Genre | War, Action |
| Release Date | June 14, 2002 |
| Duration | 2h 14m |
| Budget | ~$115 million |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
| Box Office | ~$77 million |
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With direction by John Woo you would expect Windtalkers to be a high action whirlwind like some of it’s predecessors. While the movie does draw you into the middle of the battle scenes this is a different sort of film. Windtalkers is set in the year of 1944 at the Battle of Saigon. Up until that time the codes that were being used had been broken.
That is until the Navajo language was used to create a code that was never broken during World War II. Maybe if the story dealt with just the historical significance of the code talkers it would be a terrific movie, but like so many of it’s historical predecessors ( Pearl Harbor for example) it mixes in elements that are not needed. Nicolas Cage stars as Joe Enders. Joe has been hardened by the war, and is haunted by the fact that when following orders people under his command were killed.
Joe has seen the realities of the war, and seems to be in a state of shellshock as far as his personal relationships go. During the mission that ended in tragedy for his squad he sustains injuries that put him on the sideline. While recovering he is given his next assignment To protect a new marine code talker by any means necessary. Why was he picked for this job you might ask? Because of his ability to follow orders. Ben Yahzee is Enders charge, and the differences between them are night and day.
While Enders is introverted by past mistakes, Enders seems to be full of life and friendship for all who want it. Ben seems to be stable in love, and religion, and asked to serve for his country. The film seems to be built upon the fact that Enders must protect the code at all cost. The possibility that the code will fall into enemy hands and that he will have to take extreme measures makes him distant to Ben.
Of course they are dropped into the Battle of Saigon where the chances of that happening go up tenfold. The battle scenes are beautifully shot, and you get the feeling that you are right in the middle of the action. This is a graffic display of what war is like, and at times it leaves nothing to the imagination.
The supporting cast does a excellent job. Most notable are Christian Slater as Pete “Ox” Anderson who is charged with the same mission as Joe Enders, and Roger Willie ( Charlie Whitehorse) as a codetalker. Their performance sets the standard for the other actors. Pete has questions about if he can carry out his mission which shows the human side of war. While Charlie Whitehorse brings a sense of respect to the film. He does an exceptional job for a first time actor.
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