How It Rates: ****
Starring: Anthony Hopkins
Rated: PG-13
Red Flags: Mild Brief Language, Intense Depiction Of Urinary & Heart Troubles
Somebody like Burt Munro is probably living in your neighborhood. You know him -- he's the guy who's always tweaking and tinkering. Maybe it's the lawn, his car, his stereo system, his spare room. You ask him a question about what he's doing and you unlock a spot in his heart. Out pours his devotion and his inside knowledge of fertilizer, grass seed, transmissions, motor oil, timing belts, signal-to-noise ratio, acoustics, Dolby Digital, drywall... etc, etc.
Anthony Hopkins gives his most memorable performance since Hannibal Lechter as Munro, a lovable, elderly New Zealander transfixed with building a very fast motorcycle in the 1960's. The real Munro set several land speed records, one of which still holds to this day. He is a precocious, overgrown kid, and a motorhead with a heart of gold. Building a fast bike consumes nearly all of his time and his living space -- a rickety shed surrounded by a weedy lawn. Be careful when you ask him to cut the grass.
The "Indian" in the title refers to Munro's labor of love: a 1920's-era Indian bike he has tuned and tinkered with for years in hopes of one day taking it to the salt flats of Utah to see how fast she'll go. When confronted with heart trouble, he decides he can't wait much longer to fulfill his dream.
Allow me to borrow a sentiment from fellow critic Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star, who saw Munro as Hannibal with all his evil turned inside out. Munro constantly exhibits an infectious, easygoing Kiwi friendliness bordering on naivete -- but not crossing the line. Seeing him hit it off with a parade of characters on his way to Utah is the film's engine. We watch Munro talk his way through dilemmas and predicaments like it's no skin off his nose. We watch him brush off the danger of bodily harm. When someone suggests he might lose a leg making his record-breaking run through the flats, he replies, "I've got a spare."
Munro's verbal mechanics are more satisfying to watch than any tricked-out motorcycle, and that's what makes the film work. You know what's going to happen. You know Munro will succeed. You want the old bloke to succeed. And then you'd like to take him out for a drink afterward... as long as it's tea, mind you.
The World's Fastest Indian is heartfelt without a Hollywood sugar coating. Sadly, it's playing mainly in art-house cinemas, so see it where you can while you can. As Bill might say, "lets take 'er out fora run."
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