GREAT!!! . . . when viewed as an action movie

Rating: Null/10 (29 May 2003)

Windtalkers is almost a paradox. When viewed as an action movie, it is spectacular but as a war movie, it leans towards the mediocre side of things. The reason why this is is because well, other then introducing the small but signifigant part that the navajo indians played in the war, Windtalkers really offers nothing new in terms of how to view war or how the soldiers viewed the war. Also, when there is an attempt at a message of any kind or some ironic conversations among the characters, it seems forced and only in the film becuase it is trying to be a war movie and all war movies must have them. Another thing that war movies have is confusion and an uneasy flow of the battle scenes which works for a war movie. Windtalkers has a more comfortable and natural flow with the battle scenes which are great in terms of action scenes but not really in terms of a war movie. Saving Private Ryan, and We Were Soldiers are great examples of how a war movie battle scene should be because the actions of the characters and such are disjointed and has an uneven pace. However, the battle scenes in Windtalkers are by far the best, amd most brutal, that I have ever seen. In fact I would go as far to say that they are more brutal then Saving Private Ryans (We Were Soldiers is a toss up). The reason being is that tyhe characters, mainly Nicolas Cage's and the Ben Yahzee, get down and dirty with the enemy. Nicolas Cage takes out 6 guys at ppoint blank range with a pistol and Ben Yahzee swings a knife wildly at enemy soldiers slashing throats, legs, arms, or whatever is in the way of the knife. Basically, it is a great action movie masqurading as a war movie. If you watch it for the battle scenes, you wont be dissappointed. If you wacth it and expecting something like We Were Soldiers or Saving Private Ryan, you will be dissappointed.
sidenote: What also seperates Windtalkers from SPR ans WWS, is the use of slow motion. SPR and WWS had very little slow motion withyin their battle scenes and when they did it was the clunky, unpolished kind that fits them well. Windtalkers has the smooth slow motion from high speed camaras which looks very impressive but makes the battle scenes very stylistic which is great for a action movie but seems out of place in a war movie.