Wrong direction, wrong director

Rating: Null/10 (21 August 2002)

I first saw a preview of this movie 6 months before it was released. Saying i had high hopes was an understatement. John Woo, one of my favourite directors, Nicolas Cage, one of my favourite actors and the Pacific Theatre, one of my favourite historical events. I had hoped that John Woo would be able to transmit his particular style of action film making would transmit not entirely but in it's own way to Windtalkers. But unfortunately he has made this into an action movie set in a war scenario. An interesting premise gone wrong, with a ridiculously predictable ending. Thankfully there was an absense of vomit inducing American flag waving patriotism that is seen in typical no brains war flicks. Now don't get me wrong, I love John Woo's work, especially the 1998 classic "Face Off", and some of his earlier Hong Kong work but this sort of film should be left to directors of a different style. It was well shot (apart from that horrendous archival footage of the battleship, what the hell were they thinking) but once again Woo's action background has carried into this film, especially with the awful scene of Cage being able to take out a Jap a shot from his pistol, no wounded, killed from one shot, at ranges of about 50 or 60 metres. The acting was well done but acting can only carry a film so far when the writing is at such a sub par level. The battle scenes I must admit are visually pleasing to look at but at the height of the action are ruined by the CG bombers, standing out like the cartoons in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". The bombers have neither the believability nor the effect of the CG fighter planes in "Enemy at the Gates". The premise of this film was very good but vital mistakes in the cinematography, action style, fast paced editing that serve only to glorify war, not portray it as it is, writing that belongs in a Steven Segal movie, and trying to balance unrealistic gunplay with realistic explosions gives an uneven feel. 5 out of 10.