November 30, 2005 -- “The World's Fastest Indian” is an enjoyable road movie about an old man living on social security who has almost no possessions, but still pursues his dream of setting a world speed record on his motorcycle against very long odds. This is an enjoyable, entertaining and uplifting film, even though it is highly formulaic. The movie is based on a true story.

Anthony Hopkins of “Proof” stars as New Zealand motorcycle enthusiast Burt Munro. In 1962, Munro, then over 60 years old, was living in a tiny shed in Invercargill. He had been tinkering for decades on an ancient Indian motorcycle he had purchased in 1920. Every year of fine tuning made the motorcycle a little bit faster. Using fairly simple tools in his shed, Munro made his own pistons, rods, cams, heads, wheels, forks and many other parts and modifications. He decided his highly modified and fine-tuned machine was ready for an attempt at a world speed record. The only trouble was, he needed to take his motorcycle from New Zealand to Utah in the United States, where world speed records are set on the Bonneville salt flats.

The film follows Munro as he sets about trying to scrape together the $2,000 he needs for the trip, his ocean passage on a slow cargo ship, and a remarkable cross country trip from California to Utah. This is the section of the film that seems most familiar. It is like “Harry and Tonto” with a motorcycle instead of a cat. He has to overcome some serious mechanical challenges with his motorcycle and the trailer he uses to carry the bike. Munro meets a lot of interesting characters along the way, including a Native American, a lonely widow and a friendly transvestite. It is the standard kind of road movie stuff.

The real drama starts when he gets to Utah and tries to compete. He runs up against a lot of rules and regulations. He is utterly determined to get a run on the race course. Race officials are worried that the old man will be injured or killed in the attempt. His spirit and bravery wins over the other racers and they intervene on his behalf. Eventually, he wins everyone over and gets his chance. This is a great story about a man who overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds. Many people abandon their dreams when they get older. Many people give up when the odds are against them. Burt Munro has more going for him than just competitive fire and stubbornness. He has supreme confidence in his skills and abilities. He also has the desire to push himself and his motorcycle to the very limits. He is a daring risk-taker who lives for the thrill of speed and danger. He has no desire to play it safe.

This is a very inspiring movie, and it has a lot of charm as well. It tells the story of a true racing legend, and does it with some style. It is all about a man who lives life to its fullest and never worries about failure. It is also a story about kind people who go out of their way to help this man because they admire what he is trying to do. We'd all like to have a little bit of Burt Munro's indomitable spirit. This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2005 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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