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There is something really important that you, as the reader,
should understand about me, Jimmy O, before reading my review
of John Woo's Navajo's-go-to-WWII epic Windtalkers. And
here it is: I represent about every overbearing, oppressive
group in this country. I'm a WASP-y, straight (despite what
one might think of a guy who writes film reviews on the web
with an English teacher), blue-eyed WHITE GUY. The
only way this could get worse if I were also a Republican.
(Or perhaps if I were Catholic, but never mind.) But I'm not
so hence, I can't be blamed for everything. But now knowing
all of this, I can more easily report on my experience watching
this film in an audience that was overflowed with a group
that people like me raped and pillaged: Native Americans.
I mean, the ratio was 10 to 1, easy. You see, I currently
reside part-time in a town with a sizable university but also
has the distinction of being the location of the largest Indian
Nation's school in the nation, Haskell University. It's a
good school that does good things: Students of Native American
origin may go there for free as long as they go back to their
communities and put their education to the betterment of the
community. It's a good place and these students are good people,
but I can understand why I felt that these people probably
wanted me dead once the film was over. And yes, I did find
myself a little guilty watching this film by finding myself
in a position as a minority in a strange world. And no, it's
not that obvious. It was clear that I was one of the few people
in the whole auditorium that really didn't like this film.
I should have liked the film since it was about an important
yet obscure part of a well-documented historical period that
was directed by probably the best action director living on
this planet currently. But I think these two very reasons
why I should have liked the film ended up being the reasons
why I didn't like it. The script was so busy being IMPORTANT
that it would forget things like the story or character development.
Plus Woo throws on the normal act of imagery , but because
the underlying story is weak, it ultimately goes to downturn
of the film.
The US Government in WWII was desperate to find a way of
communication that the intelligence of our enemies could not
break its code. Based on educated guesses and some sample
runs, they determined that the Navajo language was complex
and unique enough to where it could flow under their radars.
So, Windtalkers sweeps initially to mythical Utah (where
I was still expecting to see Tom Cruise climbing on a butte)
where the Navajo, drafted by the Marines, stand proudly and
well-lit in front of American flags as they wait to board
the buses that lead them on their journey to the Pacific Theater.
Once they arrived, which includes the likes of Private Ben
Yahzee (Adam Beach), they discover a whole array of war movie
stereotypes. There's the disillusioned, been-around-the-block,
alcoholic officer Joe Enders (Nic Cage), the gruff and tuff
Yankee Joe who "don't like no foreigners or Injuns"
redemption-waiting-to-happen 'Chick' Rogers (Noah Emmerich),
and the "I can't wait to get back and ironically open
up a restaurant that the audience knows will be really popular
which makes everyone on screen groan" sergeant 'Ox' Henderson
(Christian Slater). They must also endure the accents of Mark
Ruffalo's Pappas with this quasi-Roberto Benigni 'Hey I'm-a
Greek-a" sound and Peter Stormare's 'Gunny' who, in an
informal poll of three, was guessed to be from New Jersey,
Texas, or Michigan, based on the inflections of his voice.
Sheesh, and we haven't even got to the battle yet. And it
really doesn't get much better.
We see that Sergeant Joe blames himself pretty hard for battle
that didn't go so well at the beginning of the film. Despite
the best efforts of an Armed Forces nurse (Frances O'Conner,
who gets Beckinsale-d in this role. Can you imagine the hopelessness
of a talented young actress who receives a war script from
her agent. "Oh shit. I bet they want me to play a...Yep,
I would be the nurse. Oh well, I'm sure that this will be
really big and that I might get more recognition." Eh.),
he's still an embittered man who returns back to the front
with the mission of guarding Ben from any fire on the field.
The two men develop a friendship, despite Enders' orders to
"dispose" of him in case there's a threat that he
will be captured. Indeed, the Native Americans and their approach
to the war ("We have more of a right to fight for this
country than anyone" is certainly a valid point) and
their attempts to harmonize the present world with the one
that is possibly lurking behind every tree or trench creates
a great deal of interest with their Army platoon. (There's
a great scene where Ben performs a protection ritual on a
passed-out Joe with his cigarette ashes.) But once the secret
gets out about how any POW situation is the be avoided, the
bond goes from that of spiritual healing to that of male angst
and brooding.
And don't get me wrong; I like what Woo is trying to do.
He is showing that while the rituals and beliefs that dictate
the way we handle our souls cannot suppress the external forces
of war and violence, they can certainly create peace within
the individuals having to face these forces. And Woo brings
out all of the stops: We have things that catch on fire, there
are sea gulls that entrance characters, we have two angry
men that thrust gun barrels into the face of the other. Now
I know that Woo has made a cottage industry out of placing
these religious (Woo is a professed Christian) symbols in
the middle of human carnage as a message to those who may
not want to believe in anything above oneself that we eventually
reap what we sow. And this has worked in his films where these
images are distinctly woven into not only the message, but
that of the overall structure of the film. In Hard Boiled,
it's important that the materially-involved detective
burns that (American) twenty-dollar bill. In Face/Off,
it's good to have the doves flock as good confronts evil.
But what of the purpose in Windtalkers? The flames
seems to be a mere extension of the overdone battle scenes
(more on that later) and the rest of the symbolism seems almost
as though it acts as perfunctory or as self-satire. There's
this scene between two soldiers arguing and, as one of them
walks off, we hear this very stereotypical Indian music. The
audience merely assumes this to be part of the soundtrack
but the camera pulls back and we see there's this Indian there
that's been playing the music off-camera for a few minutes.
It almost reminded me of something from Mel Brooks or ZAZ
where a big fight would be happening and the actors kept bumping
into the musicians attempting to score the moment. (I can't
think of any film where this scene transpired, but it certainly
feels like the right thing to say.) I'm pretty sure that humor
is not what Woo was going for. We get all of this and a few
more things as well: There's a great scene where Ben notices
a picture of his girlfriend as bullets and, of course, fire
fly right by his head during the hat of battle. This scene
is saying that these are the things in life that somehow rise
above the death that surrounds us. A lot of this stuff is
really good, but some of it feels as though it is not up to
the standards the the material dictates.
But as hard as Woo may try, some of this stuff falls below
Bruckheimer/Pearl Harbor levels. On top of the nurse
and the soldier who's going to go home and open a yogurt shop,
we also get the guy who doesn't like Indians. Wanna bet that
an Indian ends up saving him before the film is over? Or what
about the dance before the Big Battle where everyone gets
into a big fight? Oh, it's all there. And unlike the technical
proficiency that stole attention away from the preposterousness
of Saving Private Ryan, Windtalkers does not fare as
well. As for the moments in battle, Woo wrings some real excitement
from the chaos. But he can't decide whether to make the scenes
epic in scope or to make them intimate. Often times, he will
merely shift from one tone to another in individuals scenes
without purpose. As a concept they are impressive. In their
execution, the scenes merely play as good concepts and nothing
more. But who am I to say? Everyone else in the theatre loved
it. They laughed every time a character said "white man",
whether it was supposed to be funny or not. They booed the
cartoonish racist everytime he opened him mouth. It was hard
NOT to feel like Custer as I sat there in the middle of the
middle row. But I will say that I can cut this movie a great
deal of slack because it does examine a part of World War
II that never gets discussed. I mean, this was the only code
during our military's history that was NEVER BROKEN. The Navajo
and their language, it is safe to say, won that war. So, good
for Woo for bringing this to the attention of the national
conscience and to giving an oft-ignored portion of the population
something to root for. After all the things that people like
me have done, at the very least I can do is not give Windtalkers
a mere two-star review. Maybe that will get me in good
with the Haskell kids once again.
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