Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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169 of 175 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never Stop Dreaming, Never Stop Living The Dream, February 10, 2006
Never, that's what Burt Munro has to say to us.Wow! This is a great flick and Anthony Hopkins is at his subtle best!Way more than 5 stars.The synopsis:Burt Munro, a Kiwi from far south New Zealand has been building and rebuilding his motorcycle for the last 40 years, dreaming of the day when he and the bike can go to Bonneville Salt Flats,USA and see what they can really do. When Burt's heart goes bad on him, his dreaming is threatened to come to an end. Burt is not ready to stop dreaming. He decides to mortgage his house and bring his dream to life. He and the motorcycle head for American and the Bonneville Salt Flats,Utah to participate in 'Speed Week'. When they land in in the US the fun begins. His journey from Long Beach to Utah brings him through a cross section of American 'characters'. Each recognizes in Burt, that burning desire to achieve a dream and each helps him in the way that they can to make that dream happen. There are so many funny and beautiful moments but one that come to mind is when Burt meets Tina, the transvestite motel clerk...that whole interaction is so beautiful. Or when Burt finally stands on Bonneville Salt Flats, by himself thinking of all the greatness that has transpired here and now he, Burt Munro, can at last test himself on this 'sacred ground'. Man! it brings shivers to see Anthony Hopkins do that moment.While the film is about motorcycles and fast cars, it is not a movie about motorheads. It is a story we can all get something out of- even your Grandma will love it. Don't hold back-go see it now. A Cultural Sidebar:I happen to have been in New Zealand when this film started it's world release in it's home country..Oct. 2005. The Kiwis, normally a reserved and sober lot, were crazy on this movie. For a week that is all the entertainment news there was, end to end on both islands. Munro's actually Indian Scout motorcycle made the rounds of movie houses, sort of a hero's artifact for theater goers inspection. In general, the Kiwis felt that Hopkins and Donaldson had really nailed the Kiwi national 'character', straight talking but not offensive, a master of '#8 wire' ingenuity, reserved but determined. All this allowed Munro to build his bike to it's peak,get it to America, and rise above the better financed competition. Hopkins was given accolades for nailing a South Island,New Zealand accent.People that had known Munro claimed Hopkins had portrayed Munro as they knew him. As an American I like they way Donaldson portrayed Americans.I found the movie to be a classic American dream tale. Go see the movie, you won't be sorry.
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71 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Kiwi and the Indian: A Love Story, March 20, 2006
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
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A movie worth seeing over & over, March 1, 2006
"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
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