Barnes & Noble

A feel-good film for viewers of a certain age, The World's Fastest Indian is the inspiring true story of New Zealander Burt Munro, the 64-year-old amateur motorcycle racer who set a land-speed record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967. As portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, Burt is a mild-mannered, affable local eccentric who suffers from angina and other infirmities but ignores the advice of doctors to "take it easy." After retooling a battered 1920 Indian Twin Scout motorcycle, the financially strapped but boundlessly optimistic speed demon journeys to America. Overcoming considerable obstacles, and effortlessly finding friends -- and lovers -- along the way, Burt ultimately goes on to astonish the naysayers. Such is the strength of Munro's character (and Hopkins's carefully modulated performance) that the outcome of his pursuit becomes secondary -- we're invested in the man, not the motorcycle. Having already examined Munro's feat in an earlier documentary, writer-director Roger Donaldson (The Recruit) brings an obvious affection for his subject and passion for the sport to a film that has a winning blend of both charms and thrills. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The true story of a man who never gave up on his dreams of doing something big -- and doing it very, very fast -- provides the basis for this engaging comedy drama. Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) was born in 1899 in Invercargill, New Zealand. From childhood, Munro had a passion for machines that moved fast, and when he was 21 he bought his first motorcycle, an Indian model with a 600 cc engine. Motorcycles became an obsession that stayed with Munro for the rest of his life, as he constantly tinkered with his beloved Indian machine, modifying the engine and frame, determined to see just how fast he could make it run. In 1967, Munro decided it was high time he proved to himself and the world just what he and his machine could do, and he booked passage for the United States, with the goal of breaking the world's land speed record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. As Munro made his way across America to Utah, he discovered not everyone took his dream seriously, but some did, and he made a handful of friends along the way, including Ada (Diane Ladd), a widow who fell for Munro's rough charm, and Fernando (Paul Rodriguez), a car dealer who offered to help him. However, when he finally arrived at Bonneville, Munro was told his machine was unsafe to participate in the time trials, and -- far worse -- he was too old to ride. It took some intervention from a ranking American driver, Jim Moffett (Chris Lawford), before Munro was given his chance to ride the famous Salt Flats. The World's Fastest Indian was written and directed by Roger Donaldson, who early in his career made a documentary about the real Burt Munro, Offerings to the Gods of Speed. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 876964000260
• Source: MAGNOLIA
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Alternate Wide Screen (1.78:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Español
• Time: 2:07:00
• Sales Rank: 1,031

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