Preston and Frank Toledo, July 1943
Language is quite possibly the most powerful tool ever created; it has the power to inspire as well as destroy. In the case of World War II, it allowed the U.S. marines to prevail in victory over the Japanese. The Navajo code talkers, using their own language nonetheless, gave the U.S. a decisive advantage due to the fact that the Japanese code breakers could never "decipher" their transmissions. Another fact I wasn't aware of is that the Navajo language wasn't the only one in use but in researching, I discovered the Basque, Comanche, Choctaw, and the Cherokee were also employed in the same manner in both World Wars.
Directed by John Woo, Windtalkers is like an action film draped in war clothing. The battle scenes aren't like the ones in Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers but more like Woo's own Hong Kong ultra-violent gun flicks like The Killer and Hard-Boiled which are classics of the genre. That high-octane "bullet ballet" style is very visible here and one wonders if the movie could've worked better had he restrained it. Nevertheless, in terms of Hollywood action, it delivers quite well - albeit at the cost of shoving the code talkers to the background instead of at the fore as the title would suggest. A definite plus here though is the representation of Navajo cultural characteristics such as the language as well as the strong emphasis of turquoise among the people themselves. Also, Adam Beach turns in a strong performance here but Roger Willie (Navajo) as Whitehorse is arguably the surprise standout here. He brings a lot of class and does his role justice.
As polished and Hollywood as this movie may be, I enjoyed it very much despite its couple setbacks. Regardless of the issues some may have with its authenticity or lack of full representation, at least the story's been told. I never knew about this aspect of the war until this film came out and I figure that must speak for something.
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