Cinema review (From Barry And District News)

Cinema review

WINDTALKERS is a story of immense historical interest set in World War II starring Nicolas Cage.

Like The Sum of all Fears and Bad Company, it was meant to be shown just after the September 11, 2001, but was postponed.

Once America declared war on Japan, the Japanese were continuously breaking encrypted messages sent by the US military. So, in 1942, 400 American Navajo Indians were recruited and trained by Marines to use native language to transmit secret military information. They were nicknamed 'Windtalkers'. Theirs was the only code never broken by the Japanese.

Producer Alison Rosenzweig was told about the code talkers by her brother Seth, a WWII aficionado. Ten years later she, along with co producer Tracie Graham, delved into history books and decided there was enough emotional drama to make a film.

Because we have seen so many WWII films, it is essential that the story can stand up on its own, which it just does. Director John Woo stages some harrowing and graphic combat scenes, but the dialogue is weak and overwhelmed by cliches. All in all this is a below average war film, but it won me over.