Contrary to what the title might indicate, "The World's Fastest Indian" is not about a speedy Native American. No, this film is actually about an elderly motorcycle enthusiast who longs to have the fastest bike at the annual Bonneville Salt Flats race in Utah. The speedy Native American is sounding pretty good right about now, isn't he?
The Indian in question is actually a 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle and the elderly man is Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins), a New Zealander with little money and a lot of friends who are skeptical about his homemade cycle's prowess at such a high profile race. Roger Donaldson, whose body of work includes "Cocktail" (1988) and "The Recruit" (2003), directs.
With his prime racing years behind him, a serious heart condition and exceptionally limited funds, Munro faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But the movie isn't called "The Indian that Never Even Made it to the Race" or "The World's Most Moderately Paced Indian," so obviously Munro finds his way to Utah and even successfully races his old bike. The bulk of the movie focuses not on the race, but on poor old Munro's journey to get there.
"The World's Fastest Indian" can be split into two parts. The first takes place in New Zealand as audiences get a glimpse of Munro's meager lifestyle (think shed-dwelling meager) and the second on his road trip from Los Angeles to Utah.
In the New Zealand scenes, one gains a sense that despite his obsession with his motorcycle he is quite well liked in his small town. In this part of the film it also becomes clear that Munro's path to victory at the salt flats will be tumultuous, given that a band of previously unmentioned biker hoodlums barge into his birthday party and challenge the aging man to a seemingly "Grease"-inspired race. Later on, without any explanation, these hooligans ride up to Munro on their bikes offering him money for the trip and well wishes. The incongruity continues: at several other points throughout the course of the film, laughably inappropriate things happen that are entirely unnecessary to the exposition of the story.
Yet the viewer is almost thankful for moments like these, because at least he or she can laugh at their absurdity. There are other times in which the aim is to intentionally amuse audiences, and only some of these attempts prove effective. One bit involving urinating on a lemon tree pays off for viewers in the end, but many of the film's jokes fall flat.
That an older man who is naive to city life befriends a large transvestite hotel clerk upon arriving in Los Angeles is somewhat humorous in a fish-out-of-water kind of way, but jokes about transsexuals have been made before and, in this venue, seem stale and trite.
The film might have been more enjoyable if Munro didn't make so many stops en route to the race. Every time something goes wrong (a wheel falls off his bike, etc.) viewers realize Munro is going to meet yet another friendly American who will take kindly to him and help him out. Uplifting? Yes, perhaps. Annoying and time-consuming? Most definitely. These scenes (one of which is a love scene; Munro is quite the ladies' man) grow tiresome and leave viewers wishing he'd move along and just be the fastest Indian already.
"The World's Fastest Indian" is not all bad; there are areas in which the film is quite successful. The desert landscapes in Munro's passage from L.A. to Utah are filmed quite beautifully, and because he continues to meet such friendly people, one gets a positive, if not stunning, image of the Southwest. Also, for those not quite so cynical, Munro's story of triumphing against adversity is, maybe, just a little inspirational.
Though "The World's Fastest Indian" is probably not his finest work, Hopkins succeeds in making Munro a likeable, sympathetic character that is pleasant to watch. Otherwise, the most memorable character is Munro's young neighbor, a little boy named Tom (Aaron Murphy) who, like any good, innocent neighbor-boy, believes in Munro and his Indian.
Perhaps the film's main flaw, in the eyes of this newspaper's readers, is that it is just not a film for college students. If you happen to be a grandparent looking to spend an afternoon at the cinema with your grandkids, however, by all means, enjoy.
