Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
His name's Buckwild, and he's seen the new John Woo film. Makes him okay in my book. Here's what he's got to say for himself...
I caught a test screening of John Woo and Nic Cage's latest movie Windtalkers on Thursday in Aliso Viejo, Ca.
Having been a big fan of Woo's since I first caught The Killer on Showtime several years ago (and his other HK movies), I was very excited when I learned he was going to be making movies in Hollywood. But sadly, I have been pretty disappointed w/ most of his movies he's made here, most notably Broken Arrow. But being his first movie here, I figured Hollywood somehow tainted his style. His highpoint for me was Face/Off, and even that movie really didn't do it for me. Don't even get me started on MI:2. Suffice it say, I've been waiting for that one Woo movie that would bring back the excitement and suspense that I had when I first watched The Killer. Sadly, the wait continues...
The good:
Although the action ran long at times, overall the way Woo brings you into the action and gunfight was spectacular. One of the things I hated about Saving Private Ryan was the herky-jerky nature of the camera work. I understand it was done to depict the chaotic nature of the situation, but those shots just made me nauseous and uninterested. Woo brings you right into the action in this movie. He keeps the pacing quick and the shots semi-long. The scenes where you see the codetalkers relaying the enemies coordinatesand have the huge guns on battleships firing is awesome. There's just something about seeing a huge cannon firing that just makes you say "cool." Fans may be somewhat disappointed that his many trademark slow-mo and double pistol shots are largely missing from this movie. And like Mr. Please mentioned in his review, it did seem that Mr. Woo adjusted his style to better fit the scenes and setting.
Also, Cage and Beach are terrific in this movie. I've been a huge fan of Cage for the longest time, so to see him back in an action movie was most welcome. My only problem with his character was that there was no real motivation for him in the movie. There is virtually no backstory for him and little is known about his life outside of the movie. When I first saw his love interest in the movie, I figured that would be his motivation, but that just leads into the biggest problem about this movie (more on that later).
Adam Beach, as Ben Yazzie in this movie is terrific. He is very charismatic and exudes a boyish charm in this movie that his character needed. We can see his character evolve when he's forced to kill his first Japanese soldier and later when his best friend is killed. But more than that, I liked the way they handled his Navajo heritage. Their rituals and chants complemented the story and didn't seem corny. Ben makes is perfectly clear that he is first and foremost an American...
Mr. Whitehorse in this movie, played by Roger Willie is terrific here. He kicks some serious ass in this movie and his chemistry w/ Beach and Slater makes their friendship all the more real. I was so sure that Slater was going to suck in this movie, but his role is kept small and understated and he does a surprisingly good job.
Problems w/ the movie:
My biggest gripe about the movie was the character Rita, Cage's love interest in the movie. Never have I seen a love interest put into the movie just for the sake of. Her role is completely unneccessary and should be taken out ASAP. Her relationship w/ Cage felt forced and there was virtually no chemistry between them. Her attraction to Cage's character is never explained. I'm sure she could have any desperate injured Marine in the Navy Hospital, but she pursues Cage who totally rebuffs her at every turn. Also, there's just something about her that bothers me. I didn't particularly like her in A.I. and she does nothing for the movie here.
The racist white guy and his friends are largely just filler space as well. They don't really bring much to the movie except be killed.
Overall though, I liked this movie. The performances, for the most part, were good. The action was superb, although they do run a little long sometimes. I'm sure with some editing the action will be much tighter. In a Woo movie, I expect action, action, and more action. And you get that in droves here. The movie also runs a tad long (almost 2 1/2 hours), but if they just cut Rita's role, that's at least 20 minutes right there. I'd recommend it to my friends.
I guess I'll just keep waiting for Woo to bust out the gem I know he's capable of.
Buckwild
