The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Based on One Hell of a True Story
I’m not a big race dude. I’m not a big automobile person - I use them and occasionally I’ll dabble in a game that lets me go real fast, but that’s really the extent of my general interest in the stuff - so tonight’s movie choice might come off as a bit out of nowhere on the slat flats, like a really good ninja. You know what though? It’s offered (at the time of writing this) to watch for free in numerous places, and it comes as a recommendation - and I do love the fact that recommendations have brought me to a good number of movies that are quite good and totally outside of my wheel house (har har) - so why don’t we strap up and see just what’s up with The World’s Fastest Indian.
To clarify, because it’s this day and age, the “Indian” in the title is the motorcycle brand - a breed that still exists today, albeit the one in the movie is a bit older than modern for sure. This movie is a story of one man’s life long dream, and his adventure to get there. Along the way, you’ll meet all sorts of interesting characters as this older dude from New Zealand travels from his home town all the way to the Salt Flats in North America so he can clock his lovely tinkered-up motorcycle as he lets it go full rev. There’s plenty stacked against him - budget, age and health, and a whole lot of distance - but you’ll find yourself rooting for this friendly guy following his dream even if you have no knowledge of the real life basis at all. In fact, the lack of knowledge really helps lead to the tension towards the finale, as you have no idea the outcome of the main event the movie has been building up to this entire time.
Actors do a wonderful job. You’d be hard pressed to not like the joyful, friendly guy that our lead comes off as through Hopkin’s acting job. Most of the side characters also do a lovely job laying out what there characters is about - and the way everyone interacts with our at times clueless main character really sells things as believable. On the drama side of things, you’d be hard pressed to really find something you’d call bad acting in here - I mean, it’s very solid jobs in this movie with plenty of good deliveries and chemistry between the actors.
The characters aren’t quite as sturdy as the actors though. Mind you, it’s based on a true story and may feature some embellishment here or there as movies are prone to do, and it’s not to say that the characters are bad either. A lot of the characters will get some decent screen time, and a few will feel like or point out some background stuff they have going on - but this isn’t an ensemble piece by any means. It’s the story of the main character, and he’s pretty one set in his mind - so you don’t have a ton of arcs here for development. That said, it is pretty fun to watch how this cheerful old bugger from down under continually ends up making people a happier person just by interacting with them. It nothing as elaborate as a fully created script with villains and the likes suddenly becoming heroes, but there’s just something to seeing a character whose maybe been having a rough day becoming less crabby and more cheerful by being around this infectiously happy guy.
That bike is naked!
Music is there, with plenty of instrumental scoring to punch up scenes. It largely does it’s thing as background enhancement, but at times it’s almost more eerie than I feel like it intends at certain parts. Other times it’s totally intentional that it’s trying to make you scared for whats happening on screen - it’s quite well put together when it works. Other elements, like the sounds of vehicles, are totally well done, getting the more vehicle-oriented co-watchers to vocally be enjoying those engine sounds. Balance for the audio is also perfectly done, and I never had any troubles with hearing things over the music, background audio, or or other character’s lines.
Effects wise there isn’t too much to go nuts over, what with being more of a biography type movie. There’s some shots of speed that are probably ramped up with a certain focus to give the feel of the camera going faster than it is, and I’m sure they didn’t let Hopkins get in a motorcycle and drive 200 miles an hour to get the high-speed scenes, so obviously there’s at least some movie magic going on here. The prop and vehicle department probably had the time of their lives playing with all these older vehicles though, as there is quite a few real classy rides going on in here. There’s even some vehicle damages in various moments - although it’s nothing overly done or gruesome by any means. Sometimes a car looks more damaged from just being old than actual collisions that might occur. Still, there’s not much to complain about in this department - it all works with the story being told, and the worse thing you’ll get is a pretty gnarly burn. You get that older fashion sensibilities as well, although a lot might just see it as “everyday attire” still - so how impressed you are in that regard will probably be less so than seeing all the cool cars.
As alluded to before, I feel the movie works better as a tension machine without prior knowledge to the man and the events of his life - largely because the blank space leaves plenty of options for how the story ends, leaving you on the edge of your seat instead of knowing the end result. There’s also a bit of a time difference here - getting to see a window more on how people used to be, willing to help each other out and the likes than they appear to be in modern times. I can’t really say I think it’s necessarily the movie trying to be topical as much as it is just telling a story of adventure about a guy’s life - but as with any piece of art different individuals will be able to pull totally different meanings and stuff out of things. Perhaps it’s about determination, following your dreams, the power of being nice to people, belief, or maybe it’s just a simple thrill ride as a guy travels across the world so he achieve the maximum speed he can and prove to himself more than others just what he’s capable of.
A right sendoff for the journey’s start.
This was a good movie. Admittedly not my normal viewing ticket, although with how all over the board I am I feel like I can’t even really say that anymore. You’ll find some lovely acting, some great character interactions, and plenty of moments to feel the heartfelt or the tension as the movie goes on. It’s a fun jaunt, and considering how many places are offering to stream it for free at the moment if you’ve got some time to kill and want to watch a interesting little story about an older gent following his dreams, it’s a pretty good watch!