excellent, amazing, superb, motivational, and yes, I'm bloody biased!

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2006)

The Worlds Fastest Indian is probably the best feel good movie i have ever seen. I truly believe it is one of the best independent films of the last ten years.
What TWFI real appeal is that it is not really a story about a motorbike rider at all. I mean sure, dumb petrol heads (including my ex-flatmate) will probably love this movie, for its exciting scenes where Bert breaks the world record. But really, the actual breaking of the record itself is only a small part of the movies appeal.
What is much more presence are the common themes of triumph over adversity, of the underdog winning out, of a man from a small country, (The mighty NZ) coming to the 'big smoke' to make his fortune and succeding. Indeed this story has some relevance to New Zealands proud sporting history, as while Munro was breaking this record, athletes such as Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, Bill Baillie and of course the great Colin Meads were firmly establishing New Zealand as a strong sporting nation.
The humour in this film is a pleasant surprise. All of the jokes contain an element of wit to them, unlike so many other films that come these days (hollowood obvisouly0. Although i like the American Pie films, they kick-started a host of toilet-humour movies which have become tiresome and unfunny. But this film has clever humour to go with a simply, yet effective plot. The 'lemon-tree' running joke is particularly humorous.
The accurate portray of New Zealand in the 1960s is very evident, and the community spirit of the town in getting behind Bert is also brilliantly scripted. I also enjoyed the different people that Bert met whilst in American, particularly Native American Jake and the transsexual. The fact that Bert does not judge these people on their appearance alone is very enduring ( although I would have to say this has changed somewhat in New Zealand now days.) In the 1960s, New Zealand was naive to the world in many ways. Nowdays, we are one of the worlds most travelled people due to our isolation and rebellion nature. People like Bert and Peter Snell were pioneers of the travel bug for the average new Zealander.
As for the acting, Hopkins was magnificent. he should have gotta an Oscar nomination. if Keisha "I'm pregnant at 16" Castle-Hughes can get one for Whale Rider, then Hopkins was clearly robbed, and it is only his previous success that denied him a nomination in my opinion. Hopkins is able to nail the difficulty Invercargill accent ( the only real provincial different in accents in New Zealand) superbly. He really makes this film what it is. Jim ( Berts fellow competitor in Utah)also puts in a quality performance, as do the girls who support Bert. Finally, the little boy whose name i have forgotten really adds well to the cast, bringing back childhood memories for everyone i am sure.
Overall I Cant say enough good things about this film. Im hopelessly biased, but if you are an American or European out there who doesn't rate New Zealand films, i would honestly recommend this one. It will have you feeling happy the entire movie and will confirm your faith in the kind spirit of the human race.