Windtalkers

Plot synopsis:
During World War II, USMC Cpl Joseph F. 'Joe' Enders rallies himself to return to active duty with the aid of his pharmacist, Rita. He previously survived a gruesome battle on the Solomon Islands against the Imperial Japanese Army that killed his entire squad and left him with a scar on his neck and almost deaf in his left ear. Enders' new assignment is to protect Navajo code talker Pvt. Ben Yahzee, and carries a promotion for Enders to Sergeant. Sgt. Pete 'Ox' Henderson also receives a parallel assignment protecting Navajo code talker Pvt. Charlie Whitehorse. The Navajo code, as it was known, was a code based on two parts: 1) the Navajo language and 2) a code embedded in the language, meaning that even native speakers would be confused by it, referring to a tank as a turtle, for example. The code was close to unbreakable but also so difficult only a few people could learn it.
Yahzee and Whitehorse, lifelong friends from the same Navajo tribe, are trained to send and receive coded messages that direct artillery fire. Enders and Henderson are shown evidence that captured Navajos are tortured to death to get the code and instructed that it cannot fall into enemy hands. This implies that they are to kill their code talkers if capture is imminent. As Enders and Henderson meet Yahzee and Whitehorse, it becomes apparent that the two experienced Marines are less than happy to be babysitting their Navajo codetalkers. The Navajos must endure racial harassment by the white soldiers, notably Private Chick. But during their missions, Henderson and Whitehorse discover a mutual love of music, Whitehorse with his flute and Henderson with his harmonica. As their practicing becomes more and more melodic, Henderson intones that their music is turning into something. They become not just soldiers, but friends. Enders and Yahzee also discover that they have much in common, notably their Catholic upbringings.
The invasion of Saipan is Yahzee's and Whitehorse's first combat experience. After the beachhead is secured in vicious fighting, the Marines come under friendly fire from U.S. artillery (during which Pvt. Nellie is killed saving a badly wounded marine). Yahzee's radio is destroyed and the convoy is unable to call off the bombardment. Yahzee suggests that he disguise himself as an Imperial Japanese soldier and slip behind enemy lines to commandeer a radio. Enders goes with him as a prisoner and eliminates several Japanese soldiers. Yahzee is forced to kill for the first time before he can redirect U.S. artillery fire onto the Japanese position. For their bravery, Enders is awarded a Silver Star by the commanding officer, with Yahzee's role almost ignored until Enders points him out but still credits Enders. Enders sees Cpl. Pappas praying by Nellie's hastily dug grave and, knowing he was alive because of Nellie's actions, gives the medal to Pappas with instructions to send it to Nellie's wife. Later, after a night of sake drinking, Yahzee performs Navajo rituals over the unconscious Enders to protect him with the spirits.
That night the Marines camp in a village, Tanapag, thought to be secured. Yahzee is temporarily assigned back to the command post to translate a code. Enders becomes increasingly torn because, despite his orders, he cannot imagine killing Yahzee. He demands to be relieved from his unit but this request is denied. The next morning, Japanese soldiers attack, Pvt. Harrigan (the squad's flamethrower man) is shot in the flame tanks and burns, forcing Enders to killed him. Later in the battle, Whitehorse saves the life of Chick, the racist who beat Yahzee for being Navajo. Henderson takes cover with Whitehorse and the two hold off numerous Japanese. Running low on ammunition, Henderson he realizes Whitehorse is in danger of being captured. He presses his pistol against Whitehorse's chest as the Navajo watches horrified, asking his friend "Why?" Hnderson cannot bring himself to pull the trigger on the man he has grown close to. Turning to meet the enemy, Henderson is beheaded by a Samurai sword and Whitehorse is about to be captured by the Japanese. Enders sees Whitehorse being beaten and dragged away by the Japanese and tries to shoot the captors with his pistol, but it has run out of ammunition. Enders pulls out a grenade but hesitates as he makes eye contact with Whitehorse. Whitehorse, realizing the Japanese will torture him for the code, vehemently nods to Enders, who grimly primes the grenade and throws it at Whitehorse's feet. The ensuing explosion kills both Whitehorse and the Japanese captors.
Yahzee returns to Tanapag and, seeing Whitehorse's body, screams at Enders to explain what happened as the village was thought to be secured. Enders, exhausted, mutters that he killed Whitehorse, but does not reveal that Whitehorse was willing to die to protect the code. Outraged, Yahzee aims his weapon at Enders but cannot bring himself to kill him in cold blood. Enders confesses that he hated having to kill Whitehorse and that, like Henderson, his mission was to protect the code above all else.
The Marines are mobilized on another mission and are again ambushed, this time near a deadly minefield on Mt. Tapochau. After fighting out of the kill zone they are ambushed again and Gy/Sgt Hjelmsted is wounded in the chest and later dies of his wounds. Enders, Yahzee, Chick and Pappas (the last of the Marines) take cover on an old battle-torn ridge, the Marines see Japanese artillery fire from the top of the ridge attacking U.S. Marines below their position. Still enraged over the death of Whitehorse, Yahzee charges the Japanese line fearlessly, and in so doing, fumbles the radio needed to call in the coordinates for an effective bombardment. Yahzee and Enders are both shot as they retrieve the radio and call in an airstrike on the Japanese artillery. However, surrounded and knowing the Japanese will capture and torture him for the code as they almost did with Whitehorse, Yahzee entreats Enders to kill him. Enders, grimly determined that no one else will die that day, manages to carry Yahzee to safety after taking a shot in the chest. Friendly planes arrive and the Japanese position is successfully destroyed. Yahzee rejoices in their success but finds Enders mortally wounded. With his last breaths, Enders reverts to the religious upbringing he earlier claimed he had abandoned, and recites a Hail Mary.
Returning to the U.S., Yahzee, his wife, and his young son George Washington Yahzee, sit atop Point Mesa in Monument Valley, Arizona, and, wearing the sacred necklaces and other Navajo ceremonial dress, performs the Navajo ritual of paying respects to the man who saved his life. He tells his son that Enders was a fierce warrior and Marine and, that if his son ever tells a story about Enders, to simply say that he was Yahzee's friend. He then cleans Enders' dog tags in holy water, reaffirming his own religious doctrine. He lifts them to the sky while chanting in ritual, sending Enders' spirit reverting to the Earth as the vast palisades surround and watch over them.
An epilogue explains that the Navajo code was crucial to America's success against Japan across the Pacific theater and that, during the war, the code was never broken.

Tags: cult, suspenseful, murder, violence, flashback

Review:
I just watched the director's cut on DVD after having seen the theatrical cut some time ago.Plot summary: In WWII, a code based on the Navajo language was used to securely communicate between US troops in the Asian Pacific, without the Japanese eavesdropping.
We follow two Navajo code talkers and their US Marine "bodyguards" as they go into combat on a Japanese island.A lot has been written about this somewhat flawed John Woo movie.
When watching the trailer of Windtalkers, one gets the impression that this film is about the Navajo indians and how their native language was used to create a code that could not be broken by the Japanese.
However, it turns out that this film is really about a white army seargeant (Nicolas Cage) and how he eventually befriends the codetalker (Adam Beach) that he is responsible for protecting.Director John Woo doesn't disappoint with the action sequences.
This was accomplished both by using the Navajo language and also using coding within that language to add a complication that the Japanese were never able to overcome during World War II.Sounds like an interesting story, right?
A war movie done John Woo-style sounded like such a good idea on paper.
Same goes for the deeper and sentimental meanings of the movie.It's obvious John Woo wanted to make a "Saving Private Ryan" realistic like war movie but the movie gets stuck somewhere between Hollywood action/war entertainment and a serious war movie.The battle sequences look too fabricated and planned out, which is of course a killer for the movie its realism.
"Windtalkers is a war movie, not science fiction!"Let's see...Cage's character fires his pistol in no particular direction yet takes out large numbers of enemy soldiers who also seem compelled to present themselves as clear targets at the most inopportune moments during the countless firefights.The bodies of enemy soldiers are hurled through the air in unbelievable symmetry as a result of conventional World War II ordnance detonations that contradict the laws of physics.While under ferocious enemy attack, a Navajo code talker invokes the code (his native Navajo tongue) to request air strikes from the American battleships offshore.
Apparently it wasn't."Windtalkers" was as much about the American Indian's (90% Navajo) unique contribution to our prevailing in World War II as Tom Sizemore's character -- collecting souvenir soil samples -- in "Saving Private Ryan" contributed to the study of geology..
The main thing is that the story is interesting.With a John Woo-directed film, you know are going to get tons of action, almost always too much, and that's the case here.
Anyone who has seen John Woo's appallingly comic-bookish early HK actioner, Heroes Shed No Tears, will understand the summary line after watching Windtalkers.I'm a HUGE fan of Woo's Triad shoot-em-ups, esp Hard Boiled, but his lackluster Hollywood efforts have taught me to keep my expectations low.
However, there are some redeemable qualities such as the fine acting, a good amount of action, and a solid score by composer James Horner.John Woo's film is about two U.S Marines named Ben Yahzee and Peter Anderson who are assigned to protect several Navajo codebreakers from falling into the Japanese hands.I did like the acting of the film.
Christian Slater does a good job as Anderson, and I also liked the performances of Mark Ruffalo and Noah Emmerich.Overall, Windtalkers is a war movie that is driven on a clichéd story.
I noticed Windtalkers got bad reviews, but everybody must admit it was good for what it had.Windtalkers is about a group of soldiers (including Nicolas Cage, Christian Slater, Mark Ruffalo, and Noah Emmerich) during World War II who must protect two Navajo soldiers from the Japanese, as they are the only ones that understand the codes in Navajo language.
Following the justifiably forgotten Hard Target, the formulaic Broken Arrow, the magnificent Face/Off and the trash metal Mission Impossible 2, Windtalkers marks the next step in John Woo's unsteady path through Hollywood, and his most mature mainstream movie yet.The plot revolves around Sergeant Joe Enders (Nicholas Cage) and Private Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach), two members of the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, and their burgeoning friendship in the middle of their battalion's costly advances on the Japanese army in Saipan.
"Windtalkers" (2002) stars Nicolas Cage as a follow-the-orders-at-all-costs soldier who's assigned to protect a code talker (Adam Beach), a Navajo who speaks his native language on radio transmissions to conceal the data from the Japanese.
I say 'surprised' because it lacks the mass hoopla surrounding other WWII films, like 1998's overrated "Saving Private Ryan" (don't get me wrong, the first act of "Ryan" is great, but the rest of the movie leaves a lot to be desired.
The film was made by John Woo who knows how to make an exciting and colorful action flick, as witnessed by 1996' "Broken Arrow." "Windtalkers" cost a whopping $115 million to make and you definitely see it on the screen; unfortunately, it 'only' made back $75 million worldwide.Both 1998's "The Thin Red Line" and "Windtalkers" involve the Pacific Theater of WWII and the taking of Japanese-held islands.
That's the impression I got with the opening scenes of the Battle of Saipan in "Windtalkers." Some complain that not enough emphasis is put on the code talkers, but the two Navajos are major characters throughout the story, particularly the one played by Beach.
Though it was obviously a war movie, and poor at that, I think Woo should have gone more in deep  with the Navajo people and their way of life.We don't get to know the characters.
"I'am (Cage)going to stand straight up and shoot a pistol at hundreds of Japanese soldiers, killing all of them, at the same time protect a Navajo man with no military training who doesn't use his language maybe but twice in the movie and not even get dirt in my eye, not to mention getting shot." It was way below realistic.
Adam Beach, Native American actors, of talent are hard to find, so to cast anyone else would've been a shame, he's so much better than this drivel.Frances O'connor is striking out left and right, may i remind you of "Beddazled" Brian Van Holt, after "Whipped" should be getting at least a few offers Nicolas Cage, seems to know how to pick movies not to watch, if he's not careful, he'll end up being another Kevin Costner, and everyone will wonder how "he keeps getting work" This movie, is sentimental drivel, i'm all about patriotism, i've always thought the story of the the navajo code talkers was cool, and i like to see native american representation, but this movie was awful, the first thing to pick apart would be the score, I think this film would've been ten times, no really ten times better, which would've made it viewable, and not a waste of my 2&1/2 HOURS, but no, every instrument stands out, so that you can't help but hear how forced the whole score is, and putting a super forced and artificial score, on top of a super forced and artificial script, where character development is a point of praise, kind of, but the film also lacks a narrative, a plot, it has a story, but theres nothing to tie it together, instead it's a series of scenes which move on for no real reason, other than they kill time basically, but no real narrative thread other than, Joe, likes Ben , everyone else learns to like ben, and kill japs,The one part of the film that is a point of dramatic tension, the need to protect the code "at any costs", is so overplayed that it loses all efficacy.
And then the action, okay, all this crap aside, my friends warned me, it was bad, but it's JOHN WOO, the name among names and he was just lost, he was trying to reincarnate the worst of pekinpah, he never took a chance with the film, the whole thing was so expected, and the comparison to saving private ryan, is ridiculous, Spielberg in the first twenty minutes of that movie, shows you the horrors of WWII, in a way that you never imagined, because he shows it to you without fear, he makes bold decisions, and more than anything else, the sound, and the camera work, are explicit, you're looking at this guy get shot in the head in a one shot, wide angle.
What Yahzee doesn't know is that Enders has been ordered to protect the code at all costs, which means that, if necessary, he will kill Yahzee to prevent him from falling into enemy hands."Windtalkers" uses the buddy-buddy format, a familiar plot device in both war films and other genres (such as cop dramas).
Adam Beach might "look like a Jap" to a bigoted soldier who cannot tell one non-Caucasian race from another, but I doubt if the Japanese themselves would have been fooled.Second World War movies were something of a rarity in the eighties and early nineties, but have made a modest comeback since the success of "Saving Private Ryan", and "Windtalkers" seems to have been modelled on the earlier film.
There is no special depiction of the baddies (the Japanese in the movie) because it's not about them, it's just about the war (any war) & the code (this one during WWII) & understanding, getting along with each other.There are a lot of John Woo trademarks symbolisms & memorable quotes, but being taken into the world of Joe Enders (Nicholas Cage), my memory failed me.
Cage is a really good action actor with that special touch of sentimentality without being labeled anything less than being a real man, a hero, or whatever we call these type of strong characters nowadays.A must see for everyone, because of its reality face of war (any war, in today's world even), its reality face of humanity & it can also be something pure entertaining if you don't think too much about it.Besides Cage, Adam Beach's eyes talk too!
Nicolas Cage stars as a soldier who has to protect a Native American code breaker in World War II along the way there are many battles and people fight it out and this reunites Woo with Christan Slater and Nicolas Cage.
But there's an interesting performance from Nicolas Cage as a tormented World War II Marine assigned to protect (along with counterpart Christian Slater) the code needed to attack the Japanese on Sai-Pan; that the code is held by two Navajos is less important than the code talkers not being captured alive and forms the crux of Cage's dilemma as he begins to form an uneasy bond with one of them (Adam Beach).
Suicide MAY have been an option discussed, MURDER was not.I have neither the time nor patience to list all the faults and inconsistencies with the movie, technical, tactical, moral and simply good storytelling.Director Woo and lead actor Cage owe the Marine Corps and the American people an apology for perpetrating this travesty on the public.And for the record, the Navajos were neither the only nor the first native Americans who used their native language to foil enemy communications intercepts..
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?
Director John Woo missed the mark, Cage and Slater made the wrong choice to star in "Windtalkers" and Beach starred in the wrong movie.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..
WINDTALKERS is a World War II movie that takes a close look on why the US forces won the Pacific...the Navajos and their code.
Along with them came John Woo's style of story telling, namely human relationships between characters ala 1989's THE KILLER.Nicolas Cage plays Joe Enders who is assigned to protect the force's Navajo codetalkers but most of all, protect the code at ALL COSTS.
Christian Slater, who expectedly did not have that much screen time as one might think, plays the friendly soldier Ox who is assigned to another Navajo named Whitehorse.Cage's performance in this movie is nothing less than excellent, in fact I believe it's his best performance since his award-winning role in 1995's LEAVING LAS VEGAS.
It is John Woo's most violent film since his Hong Kong movies, but they are not as graphic as that of Spielberg's SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
Why all this?I have just seen Windtalkers with Nicholas Cage directed by John Woo, possibly the best war movie I have seen this year.
This is probably the WORST war film I've ever been subjected too, if I had not been part of a group, I would have most probably walked out on the film.Normally, my friends and I are very talkative and love to debate our favourite movies, Windtalkers, my GF, my two best friends and I walked out of the theater, and just didn't say anything, we didn't want to aknowledge that travesty.Jon Woo, get your ass out of the director's chair when it comes to movies, you want to make a Hong Kong Blood Opera, I will not stop you, but don't insult the heroes of World War II.A Native American on my discussion board said he's boycotting the movie because "it's a movie where an American saves an Indian, where are the movie cameras to cover where they screwed our women, took our land, gave us smallpox and got us loaded on alcohol for a few centuries?" I tend to agree with the fellow.Also, I never knew one Marine could be such a deadly weapon, Cage slaps a magazine into his Thompson, burns down a half dozen Japanese RUNNING with the gun at the same time, drops the mag, puts a fresh one in, then repeats afte r awhile, a pile of dead Japanese soldiers and he's unscathed with no ammo left, fascinating isn't it?semi-Romantic sideplot: Uh-Huh, helping a bitter marine with impaired hearing get back into combat so he can kill people forms a special bond of love doesn't it?Acting: What's that?Fight Scenes: Cinematography was allright, but the way he set it up was abysmal at times, he's got no respect for what happened in World War II, period.Realism: Again, what is that in this film?All in all, a travesty of filmmaking.I'm not a huge movie buff either, I appreciate a good action film that's a tad corny, but this, I don't want a refund on the money as much as the time that was RIPPED from me..
Nicholas Cage doesn't look like a war worn soldier that he's supposed to be.This is one of the early John Woo film that's made by Hollywood.
this Second World War film directed by John Woo has it's good moments and it's not so good moments.the action sequences are spectacular.the acting is good,as well.what doesn't work so well are the dramatic moments.they really slow the momentum of the movie down.in some spots,it's downright tedious to get through.the film focuses on one battle during WWII in which Navajo Marines used their language as a radio code the Japanese could not break.another Marine would be assigned to protect the "code talker" at all costs.the movie is inspired by a true story,so how accurate it is,is anyone's guess.for me,Windtalkers is a 5/10.
In the movie Japanese positions were wide trenches and some lightly covered gun positions, something one would never see in war.And Nicholas Cage was supposed to protect his Navajo Codetalker.
While the theme of the film - the belated recognition of Navahos 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.
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).
Finally, hyper-kinetic action and overwrought crises of friendship and conscience in a Hollywood movie.Nicolas Cage's Sergeant Enders has a Navajo code talker to protect and kill, if necessary.
Finally, hyper-kinetic action and overwrought crises of friendship and conscience in a Hollywood movie.Nicolas Cage's Sergeant Enders has a Navajo code talker to protect and kill, if necessary.
Of course if this is all you are after then it is probably noisy and violent enough but you should bare in mind three things: 1) there are more exciting action movies out there, 2) there are more meaningful war movies out there and, 3) there are much better John Woo films out there.
Plot: During World War II, a Marine Sergeant (Nicholas Cage) is assigned to guard a Navajo Indian (Adam Beach), who's entrusted with a secret code never broken by the enemy.
Windtalkers isn't a bad film, but even though I love war movies and explosions, John Woo's latest action movie perhaps crosses the line from cool explosions and amazing death sequences to having a fetish for explosions and death.
Instead we got Nicolas Cage as the oldest corporal in the history if the modern Marines Corps, lousy directing, lousy locations (filming in the desert when the action is supposed to take place on a Pacific Island--do they think viewers are stupid?) After watching this, I really felt like the director and studio just threw this together as quickly as possible after the actual code talkers were recognized by the US govt.
John Woo is known as an action-film director and I've never been a huge fan of Nicholas Cage.
it's a great story without all the cheesy Hollywood war effects and Woo's absurd action scenes.