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Mathew Scott

The World's Fastest Indian

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Annie White, Dianne Ladd, Aaron Murphy

Director: Roger Donaldson

The film: A 30-year labour  of love  from New Zealand director Roger Donaldson (The Bounty, No Way Out), The World's Fastest Indian is a gently paced paean to a very ordinary hero.

There's a real beauty to the story's simplicity. It's about an old bloke, Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins, right), who in the late 1960s travelled across the world to chase his dream.

Munro took an ancient motorbike (the Indian of the film's title) to the salt flats of Utah simply to see how fast he could make it go. And fast it went, setting numerous land speed records - some of which still stand.

Donaldson tells his tale in simple ways, allowing Hopkins to flesh out the  real character and his steely resolve in the face of all manner of obstacles. In doing so, he engages his audience.

In Hopkins the director couldn't have found  a better star - he seems emboldened by the fact that for once he is allowed to play a real hero, with no sneers or twists to drive his motivation. And you can see the delight in his eyes.

The supporting cast come and go without leaving much of an impression - the boy next door who idolises the old geezer, the assorted oddballs he meets along the way, the women who fall for his vibrancy and infectious lust  for life. The New Zealander in Donaldson picks  up on the natural beauty of his homeland, and carries that sense  of awe over once  the action hits the moonscapes of Utah.

But there's no brow-beating - he presents Munro plainly, as a driven soul who is first  and foremost his own man.

You'll never really want to see anyone on screen but Hopkins, as he picks up Munro's undoubted spirit and rides it all the way home. The film captures one of the acting world's great talents at the top of his game.

The extras: There are a few treats tucked in among the usual director's commentary, deleted scenes and lengthy making-of documentary.

First, there is Donaldson's original 1971 documentary - Offerings to the God of Speed - which introduces Munro. It's a wonderful step back in time - capturing the spirit of the man, and of the  carefree (and obviously hairdresser free) days of rural Invercargill in the 1970s.

Listen closely and you'll hear how closely Hopkins gets the man, and his inspiring look on life.

And for good measure, they've thrown in  a piece from the local tourism authority that cements Munro's claims that his home town  is one of the world's more picturesque.

The verdict: With his story of a seemingly ordinary man, doing extraordinary things, Donaldson has produced a loving tribute that will have you cheering along.



The World's Fastest Indian