WINDTALKERS [2002] Nicholas Cage, Christian Slater ; Rated 15

John Woo helms this World War 2 America vs Japan epic, which as you can imagine sports some fantastic action sequences. Woo's style is very apparent in this feature and unlike Mission Impossible II, Windtalkers is a nicely polished movie with spatters of actual originality in it's story. This though only takes the movie so far, but what Woo lacks in story telling, he makes up for in pace. Cage's character, a battered and mentally tormented Marine Sergeant, carries the film through the Americans attempt to conquer a strategically important Japanese occupied island. Cage has to watch over and protect a 'Windtalker' an elite code operative which is essential for communication from the front line. He has orders not to let the operative fall into enemy hands which adds a new dilemma for the troubled character, which Cage plays gracefully well. Christian Slater makes his welcomed return to the big screen and puts in a very believable performance which just adds to the appeal of the film as a whole. Windtalkers closes the summer movie season with style, it contains the right blend of pace, soul and action, all the ingredients of a film worth going to see. The only down side to the experience is you don't see any doves.

4/5