Opening Day: 6 July 2006

Soundtrack: "THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN" Soundtrack Review

Synopsis :

After a lifetime of perfecting his classic Indian motorcycle, Burt sets off from New Zealand to clock his bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats. With all odds against him Burt puts his kiwi spirit to the test, braving the new world on a shoestring budget. Burt’s quest culminates in an unlikely
conclusion and remains legendary within the motorcycle community to this day.

Movie Review:

Just how far would you go to fulfill your dream? For Burt Munro, it meant to travel halfway around the world, bringing along plenty of charm, and loads of sheer determination. This is what stuff legends are made of.

Based on one hell of a true story, this biographical tale by director-writer Roger Donaldson is peculiarly charming and engaging from start to end, largely in part due to the casting of thespian Anthony Hopkins in the title role of Burt Munro. Munro isn't Indian, he hailed from Invercargill, New Zealand, with that insatiable dream for the need for speed, and spent most of his retirement tweaking and sprucing up (in colloquial term, "zhng") a 1920s Indian motorcycle, in order to take part in Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, United States of America.

While the local New Zealanders supported him on the surface, and inside they're quietly resigned to the fact that he's got no hope, it brings to mind the deception of appearances that many of us occasionally fall into. The reception that the Indian motorcycle got everywhere it went, was similar too.

And there's everything so likeable about Munro, the fuddly-duddly old man who breaks into little dancing jigs when he's happy. Hopkins excels in the role which required some silent innocence to radiate through as Munro - the frog fresh out of a well. With little money, but loads of good luck from his charisma, we follow him on his journey to and subsequent road trip within USA. He encounters numerous supporting characters who add colour to the story, as well as to bring out a little bit more on Munro the Man, a man with a flair for the spoken word too.

Things culminate to the inevitable Speed Week race, and even though you know about Munro's legendary exploits with his Indian, the movie's delivery excelled in keeping the audience glued to their seats, drawn into the events that are transpiring on screen, and rooting for the inevitable.

Peppered throughout the movie, besides the delightful narrative, is the subtle message to live life to the fullest. To dare to dream and not let obstacles stand in the way, but to treat them as little stepping stones toward the goal. That's what Munro's mantra was, and that's why he succeeded. Ever optimistic, full of out of the box ideas, and courageous even, his world land speed record for 1000cc (or less) motorcycles, still stands today.

If there's a movie to recommend to friends and family this summer season, and you're already jaded from the barrage of summer movie advertising, make The World's Fastest Indian your choice for movie of the week. The Indian may be small, but it sure packs a whole lot of punch!

Movie Rating:

(The world's fastest Indian zooms past bigger budgeted summer flicks with ease, fueled by its heartwarming story and the charismatic Anthony Hopkins)

Review by Stefan Shih