Windtalkers on DVD

In the hands of another director, Windtalkers may have been a much better movie.

As it stands, it’s merely good because for the most part it forgets what it’s supposed to be about.

John Woo is a great action director, but when it comes to substance, you’d probably want someone like Christopher Nolan.

Windtalkers is the latest Hollywood war-movie flop. It’s set in World War II, at a time when the United States Marines were using the Navajo language as an unbreakable code. Unfortunately, they knew that it might not stay unbreakable were the Navajo “codetalkers” to fall into the wrong hands. So they assign a marine to stick with the codetalker and make sure he doesn’t fall into enemy hands – by doing whatever it takes.

Nicolas Cage stars as Sergeant Joe Enders, assigned to stay with Private Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach). Enders knows he shouldn’t get close to Yahzee, because of what he may have to do if push comes to shove, but the two find themselves enjoying each other’s company, and a friendship builds.

Windtalkers is a pretty good war movie. It’s no Saving Private Ryan or We Were Soldiers, but it does feature some excellent battle sequences. It also, unfortunately, features some huge war movie clichés (in fact, you can probably even figure out who lives and who dies). John Woo does a great job with the action, but the whole plot about the Navajo code seems to play second fiddle to the bullets and explosions.

There are other problems, too For example, why does Enders’ nurse help him get back into battle (by helping him pass his hearing tests), if his hearing problem isn’t going to be a problem in battle? It’s a great opportunity for foreshadowing and drama, where he rises above his disability, but nothing comes of it. And why does there always have to be the one guy who stays racist until the (insert minority here) proves he isn't so worthless after all?

Cage, Beach, and supporters Noah Emmerich, Peter Stormare, Mark Ruffalo, Roger Willie and Christian Slater all do a good job, but Frances O’Connor is not given nearly enough to do.

Windtalkers had a great idea at its core, and could have been a phenomenal film, but they took the easy way out and it ended up as just another action/war movie.

Likely due to its poor box office performance (costing over $100 million and grossing just over $30 million), MGM has opted to not give Windtalkers the special edition treatment that many releases get.

Presented in both 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen (16x9 TV compatible) and Pan&Scan versions (on opposite sides of the disc), the picture quality is excellent. It's perfectly clear, with no grain or dust, and this contributes to making the action scenes particularly thrilling. You can see everything perfectly, but I did notice a tiny bit of halo effect during some of the daytime dramatic scenes. Still, it’s nothing to worry about.

The audio is in 5.1 Dolby Digital, and it’s exactly as it needs to be. Planes fly in from the back of the room, drop bombs, and fly away in front of you. This is the kind of track that brings you into the action so much that you think there’s a war going on around you. You can hear bullets going off in every direction, explosions in every corner, and there’s even some shouting to be heard from the rear speakers. As far as audio tracks go, this is as good as we hope for.

As nice as it would have been to get some nice making-of documentaries, alas, all we get is a measly theatrical trailer.

Windtalkers, from MGM Home Entertainment
134 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Mark Ruffalo, Noah Emmerich and Christian Slater
Produced by John Woo, Terence Chang, Tracie Graham, Alison Rosenweig
Written by John Rice & Joe Batteer
Directed by John Woo

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