Windtalkers
Directed by John Woo
- war
- action
The story
Joe Enders is a gung-ho Marine assigned to protect a "windtalker" - one of several Navajo Indians who were used to relay messages during World War II because their spoken language was indecipherable to Japanese code breakers.
What it’s like
Hard-edged and sun-scorched, with washed-out Pacific daylight, smoke-choked jungle and blood-dark mud, and the grainy, desaturated look of a 2000s war epic. John Woo's camera favors slow-motion set pieces, sweeping crane moves and heavy dust and gunfire, so the rhythm swings between churning, chaotic battle and quieter, sun-baked stretches of waiting and tension. The score is orchestral and swelling, with drums and brass pushing every firefight and sentimental strings rising over the quieter bonds between men. The mood is grim, earnest and patriotic, with a strong undercurrent of brotherhood and moral strain, following a hard-bitten Marine and his reluctant charge as their guarded distrust slowly softens under fire. The violence is frequent, loud and graphic: bullet hits, bloody wounds and wartime deaths fill much of the runtime, with some profanity and emotional cruelty. It suits viewers who want a loud, serious combat drama with heavy emotion and are not looking for anything gentle. It is for fans of big-budget war films, Woo's stylized action, and stories about cultural outsiders caught in a brutal conflict.
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