My wife and I saw a great movie last night that is one of those very special films that everyone should see. As she said when we left the theatre, if Anthony Hopkins is in a movie, it is going to be good. Plus this is a true story.
Hopkins plays Burt Munro, a unique character from New Zealand who has a need for speed. He is an avid motorcyclist who has a dream of making it to America and taking his custom built "Indian" motorcycle to the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah and setting a land speed record. Burt Munro was an authentic hero and this movie depicts him very well. Another great performance from Sir Anthony.
I still need to see this. Since it was filmed down here (obviously apart from the Bonneville scenes) and had a New Zealand director, I am probably one of the last to see it in its native country.
¶ But there have been documentaries about Munro lately to tie in with the film. Being someone who prefers documentary footage to films sometimes, Munro was definitely a hero. The “never say die” attitude of Munro says much about the Kiwi spirit that so often is suppressed by mainstream media and big business.
¶ The timing of this film could not be better: I hope it inspires a generation of people here to chase their dreams. Most of the examples of this have come from private enterprise: a film on Munro, or the example of Peter Jackson, and less often from the government bodies charged with promoting the nation's entrepreneurship.
Posted by: Jack Yan | Sunday, February 12, 2006 at 03:59 AM