Best Movie of 2006

Rating: 10/10 (7 June 2006)

www.kajatm.com Finally after consecutive week of seeing Good Night and Good Luck and Firewall and I got to see a movie that was worth the admission. A movie that had a good story line. A movie that had good acting. And a movie that I would recommend to anyone of any age. Unlike Katie Holmes' parents, this movie did not disappoint me.
The World's Fastest Indian is based on the true story of Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins), a guy from New Zealand that is obsessed with getting to the United States so he can drive his custom made Indian Motor cycle on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The movie really focuses on the adversity Burt Munro had to overcome to get to the US to achieve his dream. Anthony Hopkins is excellent, like usual, in the lead role of Burt Munro and really demonstrates how Munro was an individual from a generation that was kind and courteous, a generation that was considerate of others and a generations that knew if you treated people with respect that you'd get a lot farther than being a prick. People of today can learn a lot from Burt Munro.
It is going to be a sad day when Anthony Hopkins dies and can no longer bring us great performances like this one. He has been good for so long that I think we often take his acting ability for granted. He does such a great job of portraying Munro that you eventually forget that you are watching Anthony Hopkins on screen and you start to believe that you are watching the true life story of Munro. Anthony Hopkins is what every actor in Hollywood should try to strive for with their career. He doesn't play himself; he plays an accurate representation of the characters that are put before him unlike some actors in Hollywood, Harrison Ford I am looking in your direction.
I really cannot say enough about this movie. It gives me faith in Hollywood that there are still directors out there that can make movies that are original, that have good acting and actually have a storyline that you give two shits about. As far as I am concerned directors like Roger Donaldson and Jerry Bruckheimer can keep making movies that are based on true stories because they are far more interesting than the "Blockbusters" that get put out every year. The fact that the World Fastest Indian hasn't gotten a lot of hubbub in advertisements or that it isn't playing at some of the biggest theaters in South Eastern Wisconsin speaks volumes of how the movie viewing public has been brainwashed into thinking what should be a good movie.
At this point of the year, The World's Fastest Indian is my pick for Picture of the Year. I know it is a little early but I have confidence that this movie will survive until the next nominations. I will be very surprised if Anthony Hopkins doesn't get nominated for Best Actor and wins that category but then again I am never surprised what the "Academy" does anymore. This movie doesn't have political undertones, it doesn't have two dudes humping each other on screen and it doesn't have some unbelievable thing that happens on screen that only a computer could generate. So maybe I should retract my previous statement that this is going to be nominated for picture of the year because it doesn't fall under the Academy's new definition of what a best picture should be.
Overall this was a very good viewing experience for me. If you have the opportunity and if you can find it playing at a theater near you I would recommend taking the time to see this cinematic master piece. But then again, what do I know?