Red-hot Indian

The World’s Fastest Indian
Anthony Hopkins, Diane Lane, Paul Rodriguez

IF YOU were frequently woken up at dawn by an elderly neighbour revving up his home-brewed motorcycle, you’d probably be rather annoyed.

If that neighbour was Burt Munro, an elderly bona-fide engineering genius who lived in a shed and spent 47 years perfecting his land-speed record bike … well, you’d still be annoyed, but somehow the affable Burt got away with it on his way to setting a remarkable string of records.

The World’s Fastest Indian tells the true story of Bert’s quest to run his amazing motorcycle at the Bonneville salt flats at Utah in 1967.

But make no mistake; this isn’t just a movie for bike nuts. This story of a small-town, backyard potterer from Invercargill, NZ, who fulfilled his dream and became a world-beater against all odds will please any movie-goer who is looking for a genuine feel-good film or just something other than the usual shoot-’em-up Hollywood fare.

Anthony Hopkins puts on an acceptable Kiwi accent and succeeds in charming the audience with his portrayal of Burt, but he almost runs second fiddle to the bike itself.

The real Indian was the result of 47 years (yes, 47 years!) of modification and re-engineering, and the scenes showing it in action are terrific; for the sake of authenticity two near-exact replicas of the bike were created and ridden at speeds of up to 177km/h during filming by their builder – an ex-RNZAF armament fitter.

Some of the movie may be slow paced (particularly the first half) but it is never boring, and the late 1960s of New Zealand and USA are recreated very believably for the audience. This is a movie that most people will thoroughly enjoy and walk away from in high spirits.

It’s funny, exciting and rewarding in equal measure and is almost guaranteed to put a smile on your dial – the fact that it’s biographical and really happened is just the icing on the cake. – John Yialeloglou