Windtalkers

Windtalkers videos

Cast & Crew

Nicolas Cage

Joe Enders

Adam Beach

Ben Yahzee

Peter Stormare

Hjelmstad

Noah Emmerich

Chick

Mark Ruffalo

Pappas

Brian Van Holt

Harrigan

Martin Henderson

Nellie

Roger Willie

Charlie Whitehorse

Frances O'Connor

Rita

Christian Slater

Ox Henderson

Jason Isaacs

Major Mellitz

John Woo

Director

Joe Batteer

Screenwriter

John Rice

Screenwriter

John Woo

Producer

Terence Chang

Producer

Tracie Graham-Rice

Producer

Alison R. Rosenzweig

Producer

Holger Gross

Producer

C.O. Erickson

Executive Producer

Jeffrey Kimball

Cinematographer

Steven Kemper

Film Editing

Jeff Gullo

Film Editing

Ernst Rolf

Film Editing

James Horner

Original Music

Holger Gross

Production Design

Kevin Ishioka

Art Director

Richard C. Goddard

Set Decoration

Mindy Marin

Casting

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Critic Reviews for Windtalkers

Audience Reviews for Windtalkers

• Jun 30, 2014

  "I talk to the wind; my words are all carried away!" You know what, this is kind of a silly title, befitting a kind of silly war drama, and sure enough, this film is so silly that it stars Nicolas Cage. Well, maybe the film itself isn't terribly bonkers, but as crazy as Cage is, I'm sure he would talk to the wind for help, and quite frankly, I can understand, because considering that this is a John Woo film, some doves might actually come and help me. For those of you who think that doves helping soldiers in combat is totally ridiculous, you clearly weren't paying attention when I said that this is a John Woo film, because it wouldn't be the craziest thing to happen in one of his films. Oh, well, he is trying to take a project like this a little more seriously, not because it deals with subject matter as serious as war, but because he wants to use this as a reminder of the differences between the Chinese and Japanese. Well, he must have gone a little overboard at some point, because violence in this film had to be trimmed down in order to avoid an NC-17 rating, which is good, because this film was losing enough money at the box office. Well, the news would be better if the film was better, because even though it is decent, it gets carried away with more than just the action. Running about two hours and a quarter, or, in the case of the director's cut that no one pays attention to, a touch over two-and-a-half hours (Come on, people, it's not like the director's cut of "Pearl Harbor", where they put in a couple more seconds of violence; give John Woo's effort a little attention), the film boasts a healthy runtime, with which it gets a little carried away at times, even within a narrative concept that gets rather uneven with its shifting between various subplots and layers. The film simply gets carried away with its characterization, and yet, in a way, it's superficial with that characterization, drawing thin types who are sold by performances of decidedly greater inspiration, but pretty stereotypical and lacking in a dramatic narrative which is conceptually so rich. Characterization is not the only major dramatic factor which is handled superficially here, as the plot itself is pretty heavily played by melodramatics, contrived conflicts and story elements which John Woo bludgeons you with through a sentimental tone that ranges from reasonably effective to cloying. Histrionic, sentimental and even with a hint of fall-flat fluff, this film commits a great sin for war dramas by devolving to cheesiness, a reflection of overambitious bloating in storytelling which is, of course, exacerbated by all of the focal and pacing inconsistencies, and might be easier to forgive if this film didn't laze out in a certain, major area. There are aspects in this film which could have perhaps been genuinely refreshing, but in the end, when the plot itself doesn't follow formula, John Rice's and Joe Batteer's script lazes out with its dialogue and set pieces, almost as trite, but at least decidedly as profoundly clichéd, joining all of the aforementioned plotting tropes in establishing a nearly frustrating predictability. Now, whether it be because I'm a sucker for war dramas or whatever, I don't find that the film sputters out too far shy of rewarding, but, make no mistake, there is a betrayal of potential here, ironically through ambition, whose bloating meets a certain laziness in storytelling and ultimately drives the final product back as kind of underwhelming. Still, like I said, I don't find that the film is quite as great a misfire as many are saying, as it is plenty dramatically adequate, and stylistically proficient. On a high following "Enemy at the Gates" upon working with this, his second modern war film, the great James Horner brings his trademark fusion of whimsy and modern classical intensity into a refreshing context with this score, even though, by its own right, it's hardly anything new, thus, it's easier to appreciate a musical artistry that is abused by sentimentality, but generally beautiful and sometimes effective in complimenting depths about as much as decent art direction by Kevin Ishioka which provide some memorable visuals, and help in drawing you into the war environment. The immersion value of the battlefield at least kicks in when the action kicks in, because even though subtlety issues and the superficiality of characterization limit the depths to the violence, resulting in a sense of gratuitousness to many disturbing visuals, one can understand why the action is the only receiving praise, as its remarkable technicality and tight staging tensely highlights John Woo's directorial abilities. Outside of the action, Woo sometimes goes so far as to fall flat, boasting an overt ambition which begets tonal superficiality and a lack of attention towards mending certain other storytelling hiccups, until the ambition finds genuine inspiration, of which there is only so much, but, in my opinion, enough to draw tension and deliver on a bit of emotional resonance, or at least keep pacing brisk. If nothing else can be said about this film, although its script drags its feet, Woo's directorial touches are plenty entertaining, enough to get you by until dramatic highlights are hit, bringing glimpses into a more realized interpretation of worthy subject matter. Although we're looking at trite and often misguided storytelling belonging to an underwhelming drama, this story seems to belong to a much more compelling pseudo-epic of a war opus, and although that largely leaves you to soak in how much potential is lost, it establishes a solid deal of immediate intrigue which Woo's performance often secures, and which the other performances consistently secure, to a certain extent, that is. Material is lacking for performers working with surprisingly superficial characters, and yet, if nothing else is getting the shaft among critics, it is the performances, if not the chemistry which I find to be solid across the board, particularly within a charismatic Adam Beach who sells a man struggling to hold onto his humanity and protect his new band of brothers more effectively than the writing, as well as within Nicolas Cage, who is playing Nicolas Cage, but in one of his better interpretations, complete with a charisma and emotional intensity which sell the guilt, passion and overall intense mindset of a soldier seeking, not simply to protect his country and brethren, but redeem himself for his mistakes. There's an almost unfittingly great deal of humanity within most all key performances, and were there more inspiration to storytelling, the film would have thoroughly rewarded, yet at things stand, in my opinion, the final product comes to the brink of rewarding on the back of value amidst flatness. When the words are all carried away (Great, now I've got King Crimson stuck in my head), the film is left too overdrawn to keep consistent with focus, too superficial in its characterization and dramatics to keep consistent with resonance, and too generic for you to deny it all, thus, the final product falls short, but not as far short as many are saying, for James Horner's solid score, Kevin Ishioka's immersive art direction, John Woo's gripping action and moving dramatic highlights, and a cast full of underappreciated performances - particularly by Adam Beach and Nicolas Cage - carry enough inspiration to make "Windtalkers" a thoroughly entertaining and sometimes genuinely effective, if ultimately overblown war drama. 2.75/5 - Decent

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  cameron j Super Reviewer
• Jul 14, 2012

  John Woo's World War II epic, Windtalkers, is a dour and disjoined action film. The story follows a traumatized marine who is assigned to protect a Navajo code talker in the Pacific Theater. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Peter Stormare, and Christian Slater, but the acting is mediocre at best. Cage particularly feels out of place, as he plays an antihero. And stereotypes abound throughout the film, giving an artificial tone to a lot of scenes. Still, the action is pretty good and there are some nice character moments. Though it's flawed, Windtalkers presents an interesting perspective on island warfare.

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  Super Reviewer
• Jul 08, 2012

  more depth into the actual windtalkers story would of been very welcomed. Nicolas Cage is well cast and delivers a flawed character who is given the chance of redemption. John Woo is a great hand at the action scenes but the overall story is missing and thats why it fails in my eyes.

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  brendan n Super Reviewer
• Feb 20, 2012

  This soulless and empty war film does not lack action... there is plenty of it, as well as there are plenty of historical inaccuracies... Directed by John Woo with Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater as stars a film about two US Marine sergeants assigned to protect Navajo code talkers (Adam Beach and Roger Willie) in Saipan during World War II is watchable, but at the end you'll ask yourself, "Why did I watch this?" No real deal in it! The only reason could be my interest in history and anthropology... Navajo was an attractive choice for code use because only few people outside the Navajo themselves had ever learned to speak the language - virtually no books in Navajo had ever been published (sad fact for me). But the film concentrates more on the two protectors than on the Navajo code talkers, and that wasn't very interesting - both "white" characters were struggling with the battlefield clichés and lack of a good screenplay... Petty! P.S. The film reportedly cost $115 million, but made only just under $41 million at the US box-office and a combined $77.6 million worldwide... I thought even that is too much!

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  Super Reviewer