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New Zealand 2005
Directed by
Roger Donaldson
127 minutes
Rated M

Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
3 stars

The World's Fastest Indian


Based on a true story, this film introduces us to Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins), a New Zealander with a dream. Already in his sixties, Burt dreams of breaking a land speed record with his modified 1920s Indian Twin Scout motor cycle. Against all odds he travels to the salt flats in Bonneville Utah, and does just that.

Writer/director Donaldson had already made a doco about Burt back in 1972, called "Offerings to the God of Speed". Since that day he couldn't get its subject out of his mind and hung out to make this feature film. According to Donaldson, his obsession with making the film matched Burt's obsession with his bike, and the loving way in which he handles his character and the bike confirms that claim. The director's vision for the film was that of a man who never let his youthful dreams fade, and who had an extraordinary belief in himself and his goal. Burt is no Hollywood hero, just an average man who has the power to inspire all those around him with his vision and enthusiasm.

Hopkins, turns in a ripper performance that capture the ordinariness, but at the same time uniqueness and eccentricity of Burt. Burt's eccentricity comes early to the fore, as he revs his bike at ghastly hours in the morning, lives in a converted shed, and pees daily on his lemon tree in full view of the neighbours. He also befriends the neighbours' son Tom (engagingly portrayed by Aaron Murphy), who reveres Burt as a sort of mentor figure, but the film is a trifle stereotyped in these early scenes, despite capturing beautifully the atmosphere of 1960s suburban New Zealand.

When Burt heads off to America, the film really comes into its own as a sort of road trip.  Burt is such an accepting, engaging and unassuming chap that he quickly befriends all sorts of people starting with transsexual Tina (Chris Williams), used car salesman Fernando (Paul Rodriguez), American Indian Jake (Saginaw Grant), a Vietnam serviceman on leave, and lonely widow Ada (Dianne Ladd). All these small vignettes are funny and delightful, and convincingly acted. Burt's gentle humour and naiveté are never far from the surface in all his encounters, and there's some good scripting that plays on the misunderstandings between the Kiwi and the Yanks. Arriving finally in Utah, Burt meets speed enthusiast Jim Moffet, played with charisma by Peter Lawford's son, Christopher, as well as a whole host of others performance nuts who take Burt to their heart. (Perhaps a little too suddenly and unbelievably)

You don't have to be a speed freak, petrol-head or biker to enjoy this warm-hearted film. But if you are there is plenty to enjoy, from the funny details of just how Burt souped up his Indian (a wine cork!!??) through to the thrilling scenes of the machine thundering over the salt flats. (Rev-heads look out for other legendary land-speed record-breaking machines brought out of mothballs for the film!)  The really lovely thing about this movie is its humility and how, even though the outcome is history, it still manages to maintain as much tension in some of its final scenes as any consciously-engineered blockbuster.

FYI: There has been some debate over Hopkins' Kiwi accent which seems at times rather wobbly. Apparently the Southern Island of New Zealand was extensively settled by Scots from the Invercargill area, resulting in a regional inflection to Burt Munro's accent that is actually accurately reproduced by Hopkins.

 

 

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