Rotten
The energy and conviction of the action sequences don't quite compensate for Windtalkers' emotional cliches and historical heedlessness.
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Overview
Joe Enders is a gung-ho Marine assigned to protect a "windtalker" - one of several Navajo Indians who were used to relay messages during World War II because their spoken language was indecipherable to Japanese code breakers.
Director and cast
- John Woo Director
- Nicolas Cage as Sergeant Joe Enders
- Adam Beach as Private Ben Yahzee
- Peter Stormare as Sergeant Eric Hjelmstad
- Noah Emmerich as Corporal Charles Rogers
- Mark Ruffalo as Pappas
- Jason Isaacs as Major Mellitz
- Christian Slater as Sergeant Peter Henderson
- Frances O'Connor as Rita Swelton
- Keith Campbell as Kittring
- Martin Henderson as Private Nellie
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
33%
Tomatometer
Rotten
A powerful premise turned into a stubbornly flat, derivative war movie.
Robert Koehler, Variety
Fresh
The history is fascinating; the action is dazzling. They just don't work in concert.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh
It's the best new battle film since Black Hawk Down.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Rotten
A relentless, bombastic and ultimately empty World War II action flick.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
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