The World's Fastest Indian Movie Review

The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

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Written by: Roger Donaldson
Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Antony Starr, Iain Rea, Bruce Greenwood, Walton Goggins
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him set the land speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Verdict
This certainly employs quite a few tropes. Burt is the lovable, unaware old guy. While it may be a bit predictable, it completely fulfills on the promise of a happy ending. Burt stumbles through this movie completely on sheer luck, assistance, and determination. He manages to get to the Salt Flats and through even more help gets to attempt his goal of setting a speed record.
It depends.

Review
Not immediately apparent is that the fastest "Indian" in this movie is an American motorcycle company that produced the Scout in the first half of the 1900s.

Anthony Hopkins plays Burt Munro

Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) is building a bike. He's obsessed with the bike, always trying to make it faster. He's had a few mistakes along the way, a wall of pistons sacrificed to the "god of speed." Burt's focus is the bike, and everything else is secondary.

He doesn't seem all that social, but his friends are giving him a big birthday party. A motorcycle gang crashes the party for no reason. Apparently they exist so he can race them to show off his bike. The bike is the fastest, but Burt still manages to lose. If his bike could turn around he easily would have won. That's the crux of this movie. Burt is an old guy that tries hard, knows a bit, but not quite enough.

Through the help of his friends, Burt gets enough money to fly to the Salt Flats in Utah. That's where he wants to attempt a land speed record with his bike. The bike gang reappear for a feel good moment to send him off. It's quaint but contrived since there's never a reason for the gang to dislike him.

Burt Munro rides his Indian Scout motorcycle on the Salt Flats

Burt's a bit out of his depth in America. "What" seems to be his catchphrase. He's in a country he can't understand, be it customs or language. Being from New Zealand, in America there's a lot that's unique. 

Burt faces more setbacks at the Salt Flats. Burt didn't register, he can't pass the safety inspection, and this is a bike Burt has rigged together with scrap. Everyone sees him as more of a novelty. How could this old guy with a bike built from scrap have any hope to attempt a record.

A lot of things go wrong for Burt, but he gets a ridiculous amount of help along the way. He's incredibly lucky. In everything Burt endeavors, he faces a setback but somebody appears to bail him out every time. Being a jovial old man, Burt gets into and out of quite a few situations, managing to succeed despite all the obstacles. You know where this is going to go, but it's still a sweet moment when he returns home triumphant. A town that only tolerated him now rallies around him.