As Good As It Gets

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There was "Windwalker".It's been ages since I've seen this movie. In fact I think the last time I saw it was in the theatre or on HBO a few months after it had been pulled from its initial release. I think most of all I remember the ending, and thinking how heart felt and touching it was. It's nice to think that in someway we will consciously be reunited with loved ones when we die, but the truth is we aren't when we pass on, though it makes for some great mythology.And that's the thing that struck me about this film, that is how it shows (unintentionally) the parallels of other cultures that went through a tribal period of development. A time when your society is just realizing who they are, and are trying to come to terms with nature, an always impersonal and sometimes hostile environment in which it is a struggle to survive, not to mention other individuals or groups who want what you have.And we see the first person narrative of a man trying to come to terms with his surroundings. He applies his own sense of order upon an nature's impersonal surroundings. And that's true of all cultures, and, as an amateur scientist, it was interesting to see how the drama unfolded in this time before the historic clash of cultures of European and Asian cultures visiting the Americas (the Vikings not withstanding). It's a period drama that focuses on a culture that's more basic. There's a technological base which is not quite bronze age, not quite medieval, but a bit beyond the stone age.Other positive aspects are Reed Smoot's artistic lensing, which really adds a sense of authenticity and by capturing the majesty of of the Rocky Mountains or Sierras where the film take place. The cloud enshrouded mountains dusted with snow, the coniferous forests which are lush and green, and the wilderness in winter and spring. It really is a pleasure to watch for that alone.The other high point of this film is the music. We hear the echoing flute giving us some basic melodies that accentuate the expansiveness of rugged North America populated by animals and Native American tribes. The music, like all good scores, accentuates the emotions of the scene without being too narrative. It adds auditory flavor, and helps give us a sense of wide open spaces, or tracks of land that are untapped, rugged, wild, and are there to be used to sustain the life of the tribe. There's a kind of mysticism that could be gleamed or interpreted from the music, and that's probably intentional, but I don't put stock in spiritual themes. It is man's own early interpretation that we're witnessing here as he fights for survival against cruel odds.But not all is struggle. There are tender moments in this film, although perhaps a bit too few, though one begins to think that if there were more, then the film may have verged on being saccharine. The story itself is not uncommon, but has a kid of paleolithic twist by virtue of it being about Native American tribes. Yet it should resound with all cultures across the globe. From Russia, to the Middle East, to Southeast Asia, the South Seas, and certainly Europe and Africa. There really is a commonality expressing who we are as human beings in this film. There's a lot of things in this film that can be commented on. But, in the end, it's a kind of love story and story about survival and coming to terms, in a primitive way, with nature.Definitely worth seeing at least once.

There are some films that I've seen where I can't fathom for the life of me of how overrated they've become on IMDb - many of them having hundreds of reviews and over inflated ratings - and then there are also films where I can't fathom how underrated or unknown they are, having very little in the way of reviews or fame. 1980's "Windwalker" is one of those films that sadly falls into the latter category. Starring English actor Trevor Howard, it's a movie that simply shouldn't be as good as it is, mainly because of the fact Trevor Howard, one of the quintessential English actors of his generation, stars as an aging American Indian (or Native American, whatever you prefer) Cheyenne warrior! Just hearing that fact alone would probably have you believe that the movie is one to be panned almost immediately. And yet my friends, nothing could be further from the truth.The movie takes place in the rugged western wilderness of pre-European North America, during the brutally cold winters of that area, and focuses on a family of Cheyenne, and in particular, on aging and dying warrior patriarch Windwalker (Trevor Howard). As he lays dying of old age and decay, he accepts that his time has come, and begins to recount to his grandchildren his days as a young man (those scenes being played by James Remar), of how he came to "win" his wife and true love Tashira (Serene Hedin), the birth of his twin sons, and how in one instance, one of them was snatched and taken away and his lovely wife killed. Saddened by this memory but content that he has lived a good, full life, Windwalker dies and his laid to rest in the Cheyenne way. But little does the old warrior know, the great spirit in the sky is not quite ready to let Windwalker's spirit onto the wind just yet, for as his family is traveling back to lair, they are attacked by a band of their hated enemy, the Crow tribe. Using a combination of wisdom and powerful magic, Windwalker sets on to his final adventure to save his family and make it more stronger in ways he never could have imagined."Windwalker" is perhaps the most authentic movie ever done on Native Americans, one reason due to the fact that there's not a single cowboy in sight and another because - other than some narration in English at times - the dialogue is spoken entirely in actual Cheyenne and Crow languages and dialect. Trevor Howard, despite being English, is absolutely (and shockingly) believable in his role as the Cheyenne warrior chief embarking on his last adventure, becoming completely immersed in his character, and in many ways, actually becomes Windwalker. Adding to this is the performances of the other actors - some of whom are actually Native American - who all do a fine job, be it James Remar as the young Windwalker, Nick Ramus as Windwalker's son, the beautiful Serene Hedin as Tashina, even Billy Drago as one of the Crow scouts turn in believable performances. Another strong aspect of the film is the sets; filmed in the wilds of Utah, there were many times I thought I was watching a portrait being painted simply because the outdoor locations were so mesmerizing and beautiful. Director Kieth Merrill expertly takes all of these elements and weaves together a brilliant film that shows beauty, the power the human spirit has when it comes to survival, and also shows that violence and war are in no way limited to just one group of people. Indeed, life among the native tribes was not as idyllic as some would have you believe. How in the world this film is not more widely known or did not even get one Oscar nomination is something I will never figure out for the life of me. To put it bluntly, folks, you are robbing yourselves by not seeing underrated gem, and that's a phrase I use very sparling my friends. If you should ever have the opportunity to see this, don't pass it up. I promise you are in for a real treat with this one. Also marks the first appearance of animal actor Bart the Bear.

My father wrote the book Windwalker so I am privy to a few facts you might find interesting. First of all to all those who objected to Trevor Howard, the director of this film wanted to have all Native American actors and had arranged for Chief Dan George to play the title role, but he became really ill just before shooting. There wasn't any other actors available who were Native Americans, and they were lucky to get Trevor Howard, who in most opinions did an amazing job. Every part of this film was authenticated and was extremely well received by the Native American communities. It may seem slow but then you are missing the point. It was not billed as an adventure movie and I am afraid you are comparing it with those that are. This movie was quite simply the story of a family that finally brought some respect to Native Americans who for years had been portrayed as awful cookie cutter images that were neither flattering nor accurate. Another interesting fact is that the committee that nominates films for Academy Awards did want to nominate this film but they had a dilemma. The movie had to be in the category of foreign films as it had subtitles, but a movie that is in that category has to be nominated by the country it represents. This made it a catch 22 and at the time they could see no way to circumvent the rules and so the nomination fell through.

I remember seeing this one when it first came out in 1980. I have to say that it was way too slow, there was hardly any action and life for it to be considered a good film. As a matter of fact, I don't know how this one even made it to the big screen! The film's portrayal of the Crow and Cheyenne Nations were respectable enough. But I'm afraid that's the only highlight of it. Most people who saw this one may think it was like any other typical Hollywoodish film where Indians are seen as the bad guys ... (today is a different matter altogether since Native people are seen much differently than they were back then.) But.... anyways...... I love ANY film dealing with Native people, but not the ones that depict them with the negative stereotypes! Fortunately I never saw a lot of those bad stereotypes. I just thought the story probably wasn't very well planned. Other than that, it was OK but not the kind that would earn any Oscars or anything along those lines.That's why I gave this one a 6.