Great would be an overstatement

Rating: Null/10 (11 August 2002)

"Windtalkers" is the latest action film that contains a lot of unnecessary action sequences and war epic that is an embarrassment to a genre that has brought excellence and honor to those who served and a world, which have been witness to films such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers." Overblown action sequences, phony sentimentality and zero character development should give everyone enough reason to pass by "Windtalkers" and choose another film to watch. Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Roger Willie and Christian Slater unsuccessfully attempt to salvage a film that has lost so much with its writing and senseless action sequences.
Following my exit of the theater, I had to ask myself one question: Have there been too many war films made in Hollywood? This question is very difficult to answer, but fans will avoid them if films like "Windtalkers" are made because they will cringe at the senseless action and violence.
It sickens me to watch a film that has such great potential but buckles under the poor execution of a script that was dead from the start. Fault must lie with the writers as they took a concept and failed to take advantage of the great potential it contained. Instead, they turned it into a collage of excessive action sequences with no attempt to develop the characters and create valid empathy toward those involved. For example, the writers failed to capitalize on the plethora of opportunities to delve in the background of the code talkers portrayed by Beach and Willie. Another missed opportunity was the failure to capture a true sense of bonding among the soldiers. The ideal opportunity to capitalize on this occurred between the battle scenes, but there was one major problem; there was little time was spent between battle scenes.
Cage is one of the most versatile actors starring in many different roles and becoming a success with each part, for this reason I jumped at the chance to watch "Windtalkers." Portraying everything from a romantic lead in "It Could Happen To You" and "Moonstruck" to dramatic roles in "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Bringing Out The Dead" to comedic roles in "Trapped In Paradise" and "Guarding Tess" as well as action star in "Con Air" and "The Rock," Cage has solidified himself a spot as one of the top stars in Hollywood. However, his performance as Sgt Joe Enders was lackluster at best showing zero charisma and containing no sense of taking the leadership role. As I was watching the screen, I was shaking my head in disbelief at the number of times I asked myself where his dominating presence went. For all the talent Cage has and success he has received, I have no doubt that Cage will bounce back and climb out of the valley he is currently in after "Windtalkers."
While it wasn't his best role, it was a delight to watch Slater because he has a spark that comes out of each performance he gives. He has always been an actor that viewers can relate to as he has a youthful look of innocence and can be depended upon to deliver time after time. I knew it would be extra special watching Slater in this movie since it is a departure for him from the roles he has been taking. "Windtalkers" didn't fail due to his lack of effort because it was clear that he took his role seriously and wanted to do well. There is one guarantee I can make; Slater will not disappoint the audience with the performance he gives as Sgt. Ryan 'Ox' Anderson, a soldier enlisted to protect a code talker.
For all of the faults it contained, "Windtalkers" can boast of one bright spot; the name of this bright spot is Adam Beach. A virtual unknown, Beach comes out of obscurity to grab the spotlight from veterans such as Cage and Slater. Beach's performance was so good it nearly made forget how bad the movie really was. Beach is one of the brightest young stars I have seen in a long time. With his presence and charisma, Beach has won my respect and proven that he is an actor who can give performances utilizing little effort.
Aside from the premise "Windtalkers" is supposed to based upon and Beach's great performance, this film falls flat on its face. Director John Woo missed the mark, Cage and Slater made the wrong choice to star in "Windtalkers" and Beach was in the wrong movie at the wrong time. In conclusion, "Windtalkers" is a film for those who don't mind watching an overblown action film with zero story development and no character development.