Girls enjoy motorcycle movie - Shock!

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2006)

A friend and I went to see this movie with some trepidation as neither of us wanted to see some boy-toy rubbish about piston rods. But the IMDb reviews were so good that we decided to take a chance. We were both so glad we did! Not only is this movie entertaining from start to finish, but it features one of Anthony Hopkins greatest ever performances (which is saying something) and was laugh-out-loud funny to boot! Hopkins depiction of Munro was immaculate. the movie left me wishing I'd known the man, and Hopkins perfectly captures the unpretentious, friendly character of many New Zealanders which made Munro an innocent abroad when he took his bike to the Bonneville Salt Flats. I wondered how Roger Donaldson was going to make this movie interesting, but it's really gripping throughout. Munro's character has a lot to do with it, but it's also more of a road movie than a film about motorcycling. Munro's journey from his garden shed to the record books is a delight and an inspiration. There are some terrifically funny lines in this film which emerge simply from Munro's down- to-earth character. The audience we saw it with was really amused. We didn't expect it to be so funny. As usual, the only downside is that this film doesn't seem to be getting the attention it deserves. If I hadn't seen the IMDb reviews and just returned from a trip to NZ myself, I would have missed the best movie of the year so far. All involved with the making of this film deserve the highest praise.