Record breaking performance

One would swear that films depicting the triumph of mankind are formulaic and boring. How many times can you tell the story of some sports team who overcomes racial prejudices or comes back from a 30-point divide to win the trophy and still wow audiences? "The World's Fastest Indian" has nothing to do with sports. It has to do with setting world records and making people believe the unbelievable. \nBurt Munro (Anthony Hopkins in yet another role showcasing his versatility) is a Kiwi and old codger who lives in a dirty garage, never mows his lawn and wakes up at the crack of dawn with only one interest: his 1920 Indian motorcycle. See Munro has a dream -- he has this notion that in the great Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah, halfway across the world from his home in New Zealand, he can set a new land-speed record with his bike. His motorcycle is more than 40-years-old and he is well into his 60's. So what's stopping him?\nSure he needs $2,000 to get to America so he mortgages his home to do it. He's a bit deaf but it only helps him hear what he wants to hear. He's got a bum ticker thanks to angina, which he takes nitroglycerin pills to help. According to Munro, those pills make for a good boost in the ol' gas tank. And everyone he meets along the way simply can't refuse to help him. Munro's journey is one of automotive perfection and unhindered determination -- whatever setbacks come his way, they sure as hell aren't changing his mind. \nIt might all sound a bit sappy but the true story of Munro is one worth putting on the big screen. By casting Hopkins, the performance is as endearing as it gets, showing he has always been more than just "Hannibal the Cannibal." There's just something about his performance that draws you in. He's the grandpa that wants to hand you a Werther's Original before hopping onto his motorcycle as if he was still a teenager. \n"Indian" is exactly what it sets out to be -- a heartwarming and humorous tale of achievement by a man whose age and setbacks only made him try harder. The film asks us not to applaud the accomplishment itself, but of the character and caliber of the man who raced toward it at 200 mph.