The World's Fastest Indian Movie Review:


If you think all people over 60 years of age give up on their dreams, then you haven’t heard about Burt Munro. “The World’s Fastest Indian” stars Anthony Hopkins as this remarkable New Zealander who broke the land-speed world record while in his late 60s. It’s an inspiring movie with an exceptionally appealing performance by one of filmdom’s most accomplished actors.

I’m not sure why filmmaker Roger Donaldson (“The Recruit”), whose love for this project shows through in every scene, selected Hopkins to play Burt Munro. This is not a typical Hopkins role, and many New Zealanders wanted the part to go to one of their own. Hopkins had to learn the Kiwi accent plus the nuances of Munro’s eccentric character. Fortunately, Donaldson made the right decision. Hopkins is perfect as Munro – so perfect I forgot I was watching a famous Oscar-winning actor (for “The Silence of the Lambs”) pretending to be Munro. And I understand that one of Munro’s sons broke down in tears after seeing how much Hopkins resembled his late father.

Munro is certainly no Hannibal Lecter, but he does share one thing with that other unforgettable Hopkins movie character. He’s just as obsessive about achieving his goal. Nothing deters Munro from finding a way to get from his home in New Zealand to Utah’s Bonneville Flats in 1967. He spent many years rebuilding a 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle and cannot be dissuaded from believing he’s the one to set a new speed record on this trusty vehicle. Living in a rundown garage which also serves as his workshop, Munro takes the neighbors’ scoffing in stride. And he clearly enjoys visiting with a young boy (the very cute Aaron Murphy) who idolizes him and wants to learn as much as he can about what Munro is up to.

When Munro finally arrives in America, he manages to charm everyone he meets while driving from California to Utah. Munro shows genuine interest in each individual he comes across, including a helpful transvestite, a furloughed soldier, a Native American and a curious car salesman. It’s easy to see why people go out of their way to assist Munro. A widow (Diane Ladd) even offers him her bed (and herself) for the night! Did I forget to mention that Munro has quite a way with the ladies?

After reaching his destination, our intrepid Kiwi faces bureaucratic obstacles that would surely discourage anyone else. But again, Munro’s personality and dedication (plus the kindness of strangers) save the day. Anyone who loves a happy ending will be thrilled to see this senior speedster zoom across the Bonneville Salt Flats into history.

Ironically, “The World’s Fastest Indian” moves along rather slowly. But its leisurely pace gives us time to enjoy one of Anthony Hopkins’ finest performances, so who’s complaining?



Betty Jo Tucker

When I heard the name of this film the first thing that came to mind was that Disney film film from the 1970s called “The World’s Fastest Athlete”. I was not familiar with the life and legacy of Burt Munro and that there was a classic motorcycle called an Indian.

New Zealand born Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) has an obsession. He has dedicated his life to making his motorcycle go faster and faster and to finely craft the bike in his own design. He lives in a shed with his motorcycle parts and his obsession surrounding him. His property is a disaster as it is over run with weeds and drives his neighbors insane.

Munro’s dream is to take his finely crafted motorcycle to the infamous Salt Flats in Bonneville, Utah. There he can finely see what his machine can actually do and how fast she can really go.

Most of this film is a road movie as bumbling “fish-out-of-water” Munro makes his way across America during the late 1960s. Munro is such an innocent and Hopkins delivers a wonderful and enduring performance as the film’s central character.

To the audience’s untrained eye, Munro’s motorcycle looks like it was probably conceived by a crazy man with a “tinker toy” obsession. It hardly looks or feels like a motorcycle. But for some reason it’s a miracle on wheels.

The other performances in the film are mainly just cameos along Munro’s journey. We meet all sorts of characters from a cross-dressing receptionist to a lonely widow (Diane Ladd) to an impressionable Vietnam vet.

The film is about the journey and what it took this unique man to fulfill his dream. Writer-Director Roger Donaldson (Thirteen Days) knows what he wanted from this film and gets it in every way.

I have to put Donaldson in the same category as another director I admire Phillip Noyce. Both of these men are such under-rated directors and I am always fascinated to what films they are planning next. I hope a lot of great things from both directors.

The flaw of this film is its length. There are a lot of points and minor scenes that could have been scrapped in this film but it was like Donaldson was trying to squeeze every single great Burt Munro moment into the picture. Don’t get me wrong I liked the fact we take this journey and all its quirky pit-stops but time wise it’s sometimes hard to justify.

The film is held together by the sure magic of Hopkins and the drive to see this dream fulfilled. It is a fun quirky film that is sure to please young and old, motorcycle enthusiast or not.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

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