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Two-wheel triumph
for Hopkins
THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN
Directed by Roger Donaldson
Certificate 12A
BASED on a true story, Anthony Hopkins twinkles in this role
as a mature man who is determined to become the world’s
fastest motorcyclist when most of his peers are looking to slow
down.
This New Zealand production not only looks beautiful but also
contains Hopkins’ best work to date – a charming,
likable performance that is sweet but not sickly.
Director Roger Donaldson’s documentary called Offerings
to the God of Speed concentrated on Burt Munro, a Kiwi who,
at 72, packed up his souped-up 1920s Indian Scout motorcycle
and took it to the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to
set a world record.
That was in 1971 and now the director, who wrote this labour
of love, puts the story into a fictional mode, allowing the
emotions of the story to play themselves out in a direct if
sometimes corny sympathy.
Sometimes, of course, real life is quite corny. Concentrating
on Munro’s unstoppable character and determination, he
is at first seen as a joke in his small town home.
With personal idiosyncracies such as living in a home made of
concrete blocks, Munro’s character is now given a young
lad and a lovely lady to shore up the tale.
Still, it is quite a feat to believe that this man, heart condition
and all, could ever realise his dream. But Munro is a man who
is open to all possibilities and people like him when they meet
him, tending to help rather than hinder his impossible dream.
Simple though it seems, Hopkins‚ performance breathes life
into what could have been just another story of triumph over
adversity.
A genuine feelgood movie that will have mature adults queuing
for tickets. |
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