Well-Acted, Original and Derivative, Gripping and Numbing

Rating: Null/10 (16 June 2002)

The land war against the Japanese in World War II essentially was a series of island campaigns. Most were waged on small pieces of coral real estate where numbingly brutal carnage took place. No quarter was asked for or given and tactics for both sides essentially meant repetitive and costly frontal assaults. Maneuver was irrelevant.
Three major campaigns involving relatively significant land areas - Saipan, Okinawa and the re-taking of the Philippines - provided the opportunity for maneuver based upon exploiting battlefield intelligence. While victory was never in doubt in these campaigns, minimizing casualties and ending operations as quickly as possible was only possible through well-coordinated all-services operations.
"Windtalkers" brings to the screen what the Department of Defense maintained as classified information until 1968 - the role of Navajos serving in the Marine Corps who relayed front line information to artillery batteries, warships and tactical air assets by radio in their native language. Lacking most of the words that described the panoply of death-dealing ordnance, the Native American Marines came up with neologisms that permitted accurate information to be swiftly and succinctly transmitted.
"Windtalkers" is the celluloid monument to these brave Marines who voluntarily joined the Corps, most coming from reservations and life experiences that hardly supported the intense patriotism these men showed. Their role was important although arguably less so than as depicted in the movie.
Fearful that a captured "windtalker" would give away the unique code if captured, each was assigned a Marine bodyguard. In the film the bodyguard is charged with killing his Navajo windtalker, something that survivors claim was never part of the operation.
Nicholas Cage, in his second World War II movie since his foolish role as the Puccini-loving Captain Corelli ("Captain Corelli's Mandolin"), gives a vivid and intense performance as Sergeant Joe Enders, a man who found a home in the Corps before the war. Already blooded and wounded - physically and emotionally - by earlier fighting he is ordered to be the minder for Private Ben Yahzee, well played by Adam Beach.
A great deal of fighting follows, actually too much. A bit of judicious editing would have removed some of the battle scenes that by their repetitiveness numbs rather than impresses. While the theme of the film - the belated recognition of Navajos in a unique role - is new to the screen, "Windtalkers" follows closely in the wake of many World War II movies and especially those honoring the Marine Corps. Enders is much more sensitive than John Wayne in "The Sands of Iwo Jima" but he's a noncom any filmgoer has seen many, many times.
Enders's squad also reflects the usual cinematic re-creation of a combat unit. Italian, Greek, Irish - from the East and the West Coast - everyone is here (except, curiously the almost ubiquitous war movie token Jew). As to personalities, yep, there's that big time bigot, the guy who loves kids, the fellow who misses his wife so much, the would-be post-war local tycoon.
But the movie works. And it works because it matters that a film shows THIS generation the power, decency and most of all raw courage and determination of World War II fighters. The Marines may be the almost exclusive combatants here but service members of all the forces are reflected in the heroism and humanity shown here. Director John Woo has given a gift of love to his adopted country and I say "thanks."
Before the end titles rolled I would have liked to see a screen telling viewers that many Indians served in the Pacific and not only as windtalkers (this is mentioned in one passing sentence in the film). It would also have been nice to tell (not remind, in all likelihood) folks that Native American combat veterans returned, in the main, to reservations in worse shape than much of the conquered Axis territory, to an indifferent and even hostile public and government, to little hope and too much alcohol. But I guess I may want too much.
I don't understand why this film's release was held up because of 11 September. The uncomplicated but powerful patriotism of "Windtalkers" would have been as accepted - and more importantly, needed - then as it is now.
James Horner scored the film and the music is ridiculously intrusive. Can't Hollywood trust viewers to be gripped by scenes of desperate combat without a boring score accompanying banzai charges?
See this film on its own terms and be grateful for all who have served in wartime.