The World's Fastest Indian

Anthony Hopkins (Burt Munro)
I really wanted to like this film, and also Anthony Hopkins performance, but try as I might, I just couldn't. I found the Burt character irritating to watch throughout most of the movie (he redeems himself when on the bike breaking records and is unable to converse). I think my problem stemmed from the start of the movie when I did not think his character was well developed. If you are like me, you start the movie with no knowledge about Burt Munro and the film introduces you to him as a virtual hermit fixing up an old bike in a dilapidated old shed. Yet all of a sudden there is a group of bikies out to pick a fight with him at a large birthday bash in his honour. I just could not reconcile that scene in my mind with the character we had just been introduced to. I thought Anthony Hopkins accent was a strange mix of Kiwi, Irish and even American and all in all, I really did not like the role although I suspect the real Burt Munro would have been much more likeable. The story itself was such an inspiring one that I think it could have been treated with much more skill so it is a shame that did not occur in this case.