Windtalkers

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Where’s the History Channel when you need it? Windtalkers would have made an engrossing and educational documentary, full of things you never knew went on during the Pacific battles of World War II. Instead, you get an unforgivably lifeless and boring showcase for Nicholas Cage’s steady decline.

Calling a John Woo movie boring may seem odd, but face it—Mission: Impossible 2 was duller than Don Knott’s canine teeth. With Windtalkers, his usual visual panache is lacking (especially in some of the early battle scenes—he actually uses stock footage) and the movie isn’t helped by Cage’s utter refusal to even try anymore. The real shame, though, is that it actually has a story to tell, it just doesn’t know how to tell it. Throw in some badly-drawn stock characters (Noah Emmerich’s racist Texan is embarrassing) and you get an interesting failure.

Share