• Anthony Hopkins stars in the true story of Burt Munro, a motorcycle enthusiast from New Zealand who designs and builds one of the fastest bikes in the world. The story includes his legendary 1967 performance at the famed raceway at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where he set the land speed record., The life and triumph of Burt Munro, the elderly Kiwi man who, at the far from spritely age of 68, br

WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN THE (DVD MOVIE) A movie that exudes affection and goodwill, The World’s Fastest Indian is an unabashed mash note to a lovely character from New Zealand’s recent past. Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins, is a cantankerous Kiwi with an obsession: he’s been tinkering with his 1920s-era Indian brand motorcycle for years, pushing it to ever-faster speeds. It’s the 1960s, and Burt has the utterly mad idea of taking the bike to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, site of world records for speed racing. The movie takes a while to get to the journey–and then the journey takes a while–but the genial atmosphere prevails. (People of a certain age, for whom the word “Bonneville” evokes pleasant associations with hotrods and world-speed records, will not be disappointed in the film’s location shooting, or its sense of awe.) Hopkins is not quite on-the-money casting for the jovial, happy-go-lucky Munro, and his accent wavers, but he nails the emotional scenes and the fascination with speed. Smaller bits are well-filled by Diane Ladd and Christopher Lawford (son of Peter), who looks uncannily of the era. New Zealand director Roger Donaldson doesn’t take any chances here, but the story clearly means something to him, and that sense of commitment carries the film through its sleepier moments. –Robert Horton

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