wfi

THE WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN

Decent films about motorcycles are few and far between, and the majority tend to be based around some aspect of bad ass biker culture and feature a lot of beards and women with unfeasible breasts. So, it’s a real pleasure to be able to say that, at last, there's a "proper" bike film that genuinely portrays the sacrifices, frustration..and sheer joy of building & riding motorcycles.

‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ stars Sir Anthony Hopkins, (rapidly working his way towards National Treasure status), and is the true story of New Zealander Burt Munro, played by Hopkins, and his attempts to break the world land speed record on his 1920 Indian Scout.

Munro had owned the Scout from new, (and did so until his death in 1978), constantly altering and tuning it over the years, but it was only after his retirement and he’d visited America’s Bonneville Speed Week in 1963 that he became obsessed with breaking the record, and the film follows his determined efforts to get to the Utah salt flats with the Scout. Burt is an instantly likeable character, befriended by people he meets along the way, and with his son closely involved in the film, it would appear to be a reflection of the real man. Burt's life philosophy is easily explained- “You live more in five minutes on a bike like this going flat out than some people live in a lifetime.”

If you don’t know anything about Burt Munro, I won’t give away what happens because this is a movie you really should see for yourself.
By turns, it’s funny, sad and uplifting, and in these days when even children’s cartoon films have warnings about violence and bad language, it’s a real pleasure to watch such a feel good film that isn’t marred by syrupy sentimentality. Unfortunately, ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ is probably too far off the mainstream radar to get Hopkins an Oscar nomination, but it would be richly deserved.
In short- go and see it.

 

-Blue, (Back Street Heroes magazine)

Monkey Rating 5 out of 5

YouTube video clip 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW61Qiko4sg

YouTube video clip 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhIrCL6d7i0&feature=related

YouTube video clip 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_uvCu_8ZDs&feature=related