The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle -- a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writer:

Roger Donaldson

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Iain Rea, Tessa Mitchell

10 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Hopkins	...	Burt Munro
Iain Rea	...	George
Tessa Mitchell	...	Sarah
Aaron Murphy	...	Tom
Tim Shadbolt	...	Frank
Annie Whittle	...	Fran
Greg Johnson	...	Duncan
Antony Starr	...	Jeff
Kate Sullivan	...	Doris
Craig Hall	...	Antarctic Angel
Jim Bowman	...	Cook
Alison Bruce	...	Doctor
Phoebe Falconer	...	Janice Springfield
Charles Pierard	...	Bank Manager
Barry Ryan	...	Burt's Neighbour

Storyline

For 25 years in Invercargill at the south end of New Zealand, Burt Munro (1899-1978) has been working on increasing the speed of his motorcycle, a 1920 Indian. He dreams of taking it to the Bonneville Salt Flats to see how fast it will go. By the early 1960s, heart disease threatens his life, so he mortgages his house and takes a boat to Los Angeles, buys an old car, builds a makeshift trailer, gets the Indian through customs, and heads for Utah. Along the way, people he meets are charmed by his open, direct friendliness. If he makes it to Bonneville, will they let an old guy on the flats with makeshift tires, no brakes, and no chute? And will the Indian actually respond?

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle | utah | trailer | speed | mortgage | 

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Taglines:

Based On One Hell Of A True Story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief language, drug use and a sexual reference

Details

Official Sites:

Icon Film Distribution [uk] Magnolia Pictures [us]

Country:

New Zealand USA Switzerland Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2005 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

A leggyorsabb Indian

Filming Locations:

Echo, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$958,836 (Australia) (7 April 2006)

Gross:

$5,128,124 (USA) (14 July 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

OLC / Rights Entertainment, Tanlay, New Zealand Film Production Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger Donaldson:  [using a racing machine on a public road]  In this movie 'Anthony Hopkins (I)'/Burt Munro tests the Indian on a highway. In the opening sequence of Smash Palace, Bruno Lawrence/Al Shaw is seen testing his Formula 5000 race car the same way.

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Goofs

When Burt Munro gets into the back of the taxi in Los Angeles you can see a crew member wearing a blue coat, a hat and sunglasses reflected in the window.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Burt Munro: [rolling a distance gauge] 93... 94... 95... 96... 97...

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'The World's Fastest Indian' (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Kiss Twist"
(Craig Hubber)
Used by permission. All rights reserved

User Reviews

A beautifully simple tale with great vibes and no villains.

All I knew about this movie going in was that it was the life story of an Ivan Mauger-type motorcyclist whom I'd never heard of; that he was a Southlander; and that Anthony Hopkins was playing the chap - complete with a rolled rrrr's Southland accent. I came away with a feeling similar to when I first saw "Tucker the man & his dream" and "Cool runnings" - A genuine feeling of euphoria that someone whom I ordinarily would have little particular interest in, has accomplished a dream. Roger Donaldson has created a rare cinematic masterpiece with "The world's fastest Indian" - he has crafted a feel-good movie which achieves a "Field of dreams" emotional level with a climax which is deliberately low-key and in keeping with the subject matter. Despite the fact that Burt Munro's efforts set an as-yet unbeaten world record, he was a humble bloke who just went back to his shed at the end of the day to tinker. I loved this movie because it tells a straight-forward tale of someone so fixed on his dream that anyone he comes into contact with simply can't help but do what they can to help him. There are no villains in this movie - except bad luck and circumstance. And the way Munro overcomes adversity is incredibly charming, and an inspiration to anyone. Sir Anthony Hopkins is incredible, as usual. There aren't many actors who could pull off the Antipodean twang and the Southland R-rolling to boot! But Hopkins carries it off almost impeccably. The shimmering cinematography on the Bonneville salt flats is another highlight of this masterpiece, and I think I'm going to have to see it again before it winds up its run at my local cinema to fully appreciate it! (The first time I was too caught up in the agony of Burt's struggle!) This truly is a great flick. Probably not an Oscar winner, but for me, "World's fastest Indian" belongs alongside the aforementioned "Tucker," etc. There's probably not much point in releasing it in the United States - it's not their kind of feel-good movie. But I sure hope Donaldson takes it to Cannes...the Europeans should like it as much as "Whale rider."