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The vehicular star of the movie is Burt’s 1920 Indian.

The original is owned by a collector in New Zealand and is far too valuable to be subjected to the rigors of filming, so a replica was built to take its place.

Actually, there are three replicas – a complete version of the original, a second that is just a chassis and body and was used for camera-car action shots, and a third that’s powered with a Ducati twin and was used for stand-alone action sequences.


A rare photo-op presented itself when four famous old Salt cars were gathered together for the first time ever – the Pumpkin Seed, the Redhead, the Challenger, and the Flying Caduceus.


Burt’s Stateside traveling rig, set for a shot of his arrival on the Salt. There were three near-identical Chevys, two ‘54s and a ’53 tarted up to look like a ’54. The patina-meister did his job so well it was difficult to tell the cars apart.

THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN - Movie Review
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2005 Toronto Film Festival


Directed by Roger Donaldson (Kiwi boy made big in Hollywood)
Also Directed 'Cocktail' starring Tom Cruise, 'Species', 'Dante's Peak' starring Pierce Brosnan, 'Thirteen Days' starring Kevin Costner and who could forget Kiwi classics 'Sleeping Dogs' & 'Smash Palace'?
Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins ("Are the lambs silent Clarisse?")

Arriving late, (why do I bother telling people that, it's not a surprise anymore), but not so late that I didn't get that this is going to be a great movie.


Hoppy is fantastic as the movie's anti-hero, Burt Munro. An old guy living in his shed in Invercargil (at the bottom of New Zealand), where, for a couple of decades he has been re-building a 1920 Indian motorcycle. His dream is to take his machine to speed week at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (U.S.A.)

The film is heart warmingly funny with a great deal of detail given to props; glass milk bottles, costumes, cars, even colloquialisms an American audience may find peculiar! But who really cares about the Yanks?

Burt Munro is a local Kiwi hero but no-one really believes he will ever get to Utah to fulfill his lifelong ambition. When he finally does get to America Burt begins a road trip reminiscent of a Burroughs or Keuroac 'Beat Novel'. Maybe not drugs so much as the people who help him achieve his goal, the ladies he meets along the way and his intimate experience with ground dogs testicles as a cure for his prostate problem!

BUT, is the film any bloody good I hear you ask? Yes, it's better than bloody good, it's bloody great!


Anthony Hopkins aside, the cast are fantastic with great supporting roles by Annie Whittle as Burt's love interest, Fran, and Tim Shadbolt, (current Mayor of Invercargil), as MC at Burt's birthday party knees-up. The standout performance for me was his young neighbour... Do you think I can find the young actors name anywhere on the Web? Or remember his screen characters name?

I put it down to excessive excessivisity. Who said the drugs don't work?


Now, I don't want to spoil it for you but, with all the odds against him, Burt wins support from the most unusual allies in his quest to set a new speed record and captured the spirit of his times. Burt Munro’s 1967 world record remains unbroken and his legend lives on today.

'The World's Fastest Indian' is set for local release in October with the rest of the world having to wait until 2006.

INTERNATIONALLY:
The film will have a special red carpet presentation in Toronto, reserved for ‘high profile artistic films featuring major actors and directors’ according to the Festival.

“Roger Donaldson and star Anthony Hopkins will both be there to introduce the film at the world premiere” says NZ Film’s Kathleen Drumm who is handling international sales.  “ Toronto is an A-List Festival and we can expect a high profile for the film to be generated by the many international media covering the 10-day event”

Donaldson will be joined by his producer Gary Hannam and the film’s executive producers.

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