Line #80 Film/Windtalkers


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3	''Windtalkers'' is a 2002 military film directed by Creator/JohnWoo, about the Navajo Code Talkers in the Pacific front of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
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5	Joe Enders (Creator/NicolasCage) is given the job of protecting a Navajo code talker named Ben Yahzee (Creator/AdamBeach). Because the code must not be broken, Enders' orders are to kill Yahzee should he fall into enemy hands. The movie mostly follows the Battle of Saipan.
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8	!!Tropes in this film:
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10	* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The mass-produced katana used to [[spoiler: behead Ox]] with a single stroke.
11	* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Between battles, there's one scene where Whitehorse and his bodyguard Ox (who has secretly been ordered to kill him if he's at risk of being captured) bond while playing a musical duet with Ox's harmonica and Whitehorse's flute.
12	* ActionPrologue: Enders' first scene in the Solomons in 1943.
13	* AnyoneCanDie: It's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in the Pacific, so this is to be expected. By the end of the film, [[spoiler: only Chick, Yahzee, and Pappas are left of the original squad, and even Pappas gets a DeathByAdaptation in the tie-in novelization.]]
14	* AxCrazy: Enders turns into a real demon of war during combat, just looking for more kills to score. Later, after [[spoiler: Whitehorse is killed]], Yahzee takes the role of the ax-crazy soldier.
15	* BackToBackBadasses: Ox and Whitehorse during their LastStand.
16	* BayonetYa: Both the Japanese Army and US Marines are shown using bayonets on their rifles, but the former especially so.
17	* BerserkButton: As expected, Yahzee didn't take TheReveal about Enders' orders mildly.
18	* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: Averted. Chick survives the entire film unscathed.
19	* BladeEnthusiast: Whitehorse carries a ''big'' Bowie knife that he uses to good effect.
20	* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler: Enders]], to indicate that he's [[KilledOffForReal really dying]].
21	* BloodKnight:
22	** Enders enjoys killing the Japanese a little too much after being the SoleSurvivor of the Solomon Islands campaign. There's actually a close-up of a CheshireCatGrin on his face as he gleefully mows down half a dozen Japanese with his Tommy-gun in one scene.
23	** [[spoiler:Yahzee becomes one following Whitehorse's death. And, like Enders before him, slaughters any Japanese soldier he comes across.]]
24	* BottomlessMagazines: Reloading? In a John Woo movie? You're kidding, right? This trope is going to absurd levels with Enders' Thompson. Even if he's the only character ever seen reloading, his mags holds a few times more than they should.
25	** That said, it is averted mostly. While Enders got a Thompson with magic mags, his squadmates are not so lucky as they frequently either run low or out of ammo in firefights.
26	* CallBack:
27	** When in desperate need of a radio, Yahzee recalls how Chick said that Indians look almost Japanese when not in uniform to excuse his attempt to murder Yahzee (though none of the rest of the platoon buy his excuse for a second). The squad promptly starts to [[DressingAsTheEnemy collect Japanese uniforms]].
28	** Later in the film Yahzee mocks his own words toward Enders. First time, he assures Enders that following orders is the most important thing to do, even more important than saving your friends. But when he learns that Enders is ordered to kill him in case of risking capture, [[{{Hypocrite}} he berates him for mindlessly following orders]].
29	* TheCavalry: [=F6F=] Hellcat Fighter-bombers. Usually too early [[TheCavalryArrivesLate or too late]].
30	** Also, the US Navy ships offshore in the first part of the Saipan invasion.
31	* CharacterDevelopment:
32	** Yahzee goes from a TechnicalPacifist radioman, to an AxCrazy [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge revenge-driven]] BloodKnight [[spoiler: following Whitehorse's death at the hands of Enders and the Japanese]], to having a HeelRealization [[spoiler: upon accidentally slashing Enders.]]
33	** Chick starts out as a racist {{Jerkass}}, but after Whitehorse saves his life during a Japanese attack, he mellows out and becomes much nicer to Yahzee, to the point he risks his life to save him.
34	** Enders himself starts off as a ShellShockedVeteran with AxCrazy tendencies, to slowly mellowing up towards Yahzee, ending with him [[spoiler: [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying to help protect Yahzee and the other Marines under fire.]] ]]
35	* CommunicationsOfficer: Pretty much the role of all the code-talkers such as Yahzee and Whitehorse.
36	* ConflictBall: The Windtalkers knew how important they were - so much so that they needed a babysitter to keep them safe - but Yahzee is ''shocked'' that among Enders' orders are ones to kill him should he fall into enemy hands.
37	* DeathByRacism [[spoiler: Subverted with Chick, who makes it to the end with [[NiceGuy nice guys]] Yahzee and Pappas. [[CharacterDevelopment He’s definitely improved by the end of the film, though.]]]]
38	* DeathFromAbove: Again, the Hellcats.
39	* DeathSeeker: Enders was the last man standing after his unit got slaughtered, because he insisted that they must obey their orders and hold their ground. It's haunted him ever since, to the point where he's one step from being outright suicidal.
40	* {{Determinator}}: Enders. Give him an order. He will do '''anything''' to fulfill it.
41	* DressingAsTheEnemy: Yahzee comes up with a way to take out an entrenched Japanese unit through infiltration by putting on a Japanese uniform himself and making his superior Enders look like a captured enemy. The subterfuge is made possible on account of Yahzee's tanner skin color and non-white features as a Navajo native, which Enders had earlier noted might cause others in the field to mistake him for a Japanese soldier. He really doesn’t look Japanese, which is why Enders also smears Yahzee’s face with dirt, [[BavarianFireDrill hoping that a guy who’s not white in a Japanese uniform will fool the enemy just long enough to get to the radio.]]
42	* FatalFamilyPhoto: The whole unit is watching photos of [[MyGirlBackHome their beloved ones]]... right before coming under heavy artillery fire.
43	* FatBestFriend: ''Fat'' might be a strong word, but Whitehorse is noticeably stouter than his best friend Yahzee (who plays a bigger role).
44	* FireForgedFriends: Everyone in the unit.
45	* FlamethrowerBackfire: The film does this to [[spoiler:Harrigan]].
46	* {{Foil}}: Ox and Whitehorse to Yahzee and Enders. The two develop a genuine friendship, and display more loyalty to each other. While Enders is willing to follow their orders to kill the code talkers if necessary, Ox is unable to do so when the moment arrives, and is justified by him and Whitehorse managing to fight off their attackers [[spoiler: unfortunately, it's only a brief HopeSpot]].
47	* GenreBlind: Yahzee, regarding Enders' orders again.
48	* HiddenDepths: Enders. Sure, he is a killing machine with ''serious'' problems, but outside the battlefield he's really a nice guy. Even toward nominal enemies, as shown with the sick kid to whom he gave his pain-killers.
49	* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: The Navajo Code was derived from the tribe’s language, but it was still a code.
50	* HoldTheLine: Enders' unit in the Solomons at the beginning of the film is assigned this mission. Unfortunately, they soon become outnumbered and outgunned by the Japanese, and are wiped out as a result.
51	* HumanShield: Ox uses one of the Japanese soldiers to block a stab from a bayonet.
52	* HyperventilationBag: Pappas is shown a few times using one.
53	* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Yahzee and Enders toward each other at the end.
54	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Enders. If the Thompson submachine gun was half as accurate as it's shown in his hands, it would have been the ultimate weapon of [=WWII=], especially with his [[BottomlessMagazines 30-round mags that are evidently packed with 200+ rounds each]].
55	** The Thompson actually ''is'' a very accurate weapon...when fired semiauto. Enders' long bursts would put one hole in the target and fifteen more...somewhere far, far away.
56	* IndyPloy: The whole get-to-the-Japanese-radio plan is made more or less on the move.
57	* JungleWarfare: The first battle scene, set in the Solomons during 1942 or 1943, is a textbook example, with patrols, ambushes, and supply problems in the span of less than 4 minutes.
58	** The first battle set on Saipan counts as well, thanks to the thick overgrowth on the lower areas of the island.
59	* JustPlaneWrong: The [=F6F=] Hellcats are appropriate for the Battle of Saipan. Their insistence on dropping bombs from an altitude that should see them blown out of the sky by those very bombs, or the bombs’ defiance of the laws of physics, decidedly less so. It would have been far more appropriate if the planes had just been given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Velocity_Aircraft_Rocket HVAR rockets]] instead, which do pretty much the same thing, and would make much more sense to use at low altitude. Additionally, the close air support mission was much more likely to be performed by Marine [=F4U=] Corsairs than Navy Hellcats.[[note]]While Hellcats were perfectly capable of ground attack, Corsairs were more frequently utilized in the role. Additionally, while the Navy operated both fighters, the Marines were almost exclusively equipped with Corsairs, and Marines on the ground would generally be in contact with Marine fighter squadrons for air support.[[/note]]
60	* KidAmidTheChaos: The sobbing little girl in the ruined village that Harrigan tries to comfort with a bar of chocolate.
61	* KillItWithFire: Numerous IJA soldiers were killed by flamethrowers and incendiary grenades.
62	* ManlyTears: Enders cries during his NotSoStoic moments.
63	* MercyKill: Enders has orders to do this if his windtalker should fall into enemy hands, to both save the man from torture and protect the code.
64	** Also [[spoiler:Harrigan]] is given this.
65	* MightyWhitey: Nicolas Cage saves the day and is a hero, while the Navajo characters are relegated to the sidelines and receive far less character development.
66	* MoodWhiplash: After upbeat talk about their families and home the main characters are suddenly under artillery fire. [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog Friendly artillery fire]]]].
67	* NaiveNewcomer: Both Yahzee and Whitehorse. They not only have no idea into what kind of hell they getting themselves, but are also completely unprepared for racial ostracization by fellow soldiers.
68	* NeverTrustATitle: Enders is the center of attention and the protagonist in the movie, the windtalkers are... there.
69	* NiceGuy: PFC Harrigan, the flame gunner, [[{{Irony}} whose job it is to incinerate enemy troops with napalm.]]
70	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Oh, Harrigan, how nice of you to feed a starving little girl... [[spoiler: time to blow up your flamethrower and let you burn alive!]]
71	* NounVerber
72	* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler:Henderson]] suffers this fate.
73	* OneManArmy: Enders, combining this with DoAnythingSoldier. While [[HandicappedBadass being deaf in one ear]] and living under the heavy burden of SurvivorGuilt, he is still capable of taking down dozens of enemies alone. Heck, he got ''two'' Silver Stars for his insane fighting skills and determination. Somewhat justified, as he’s a DeathSeeker who takes insane risks that ''should'' get him killed.
74	* {{Overcrank}}: After all it's John Woo's film.
75	* PlotArmor: Subverted. Until the attack on the village, everything seems to follow this trope, with heroes going through impossible situations. After that scene, AnyoneCanDie.
76	* PoorCommunicationKills: There was really no reason to withhold the information from the Windtalkers that their babysitters were supposed to kill them should they fall into enemy hands. It wasn't like the windtalkers didn't already know how important they were. Heck, if things were that dangerous, they should have already been [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled trained how best to take themselves out]] before the enemy gets to them.[[note]] Real-life Code Talkers knew they couldn’t allow themselves to be captured and interrogated.[[/note]]
77	* RecklessSidekick: During their last fight Yahzee is so enraged that he basically endangers his whole squad by going berserk.
78	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Yahzee, [[spoiler: after Whitehorse is killed]].
79	* SatchelCharge: Enders volunteers to use a satchel charge on a heavily-defended Japanese pillbox towards the end of the first battle on Saipan, ultimately blowing the enemy structure sky-high after throwing it into the enemy bunker's machine gun slit.
80	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Enders finds he is unable to perform his vital duty of killing his partner if it came down to it, so he goes to his commanding officer and requests an official transfer to another unit. Because of the village attack soon after, he stays on.
81	* SecretlyWealthy: Whitehorse dresses and behaves fairly modestly, but Yahzee says that his family owns one of the biggest flocks of sheep in the Four Corners.
82	* ShellShockedVeteran: Enders' last battle deeply messed with his mind.
83	* ShovelStrike: Yahzee is using an entrenching shovel to defend himself during the final battle.
84	* SittingDuck: The Marine Sherman and Stuart tanks usually end up destroyed before being able to fire back. See TanksForNothing below.
85	* SlashedThroat: Whitehorse and Yahzee, who uses Bowie knives as their backup weapons, disposes many Japanese soldiers using this method. And then there's a MexicanStandoff between Yahzee and a Japanese soldier, who's interrupted by Enders sneaking up behind the enemy and slicing his throat.
86	* StabTheScorpion: During the village battle, Whitehorse throws his friggin' huge bowie knife towards Chick, who was previously shown to be racist towards Native American soldiers... and kills the Japanese soldier sneaking up on Chick. This moment of rescue causes Chick to have a change of attitude towards the minority soldiers.
87	* SurvivorsGuilt: Enders suffers from this due to being the SoleSurvivor of his squad in the battle on the Solomon Islands.
88	* TakeAThirdOption: When Enders can either fight the Japanese or kill Yahzee to keep the code secured, [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind he choose to take him on his back and run for safety]].
89	* TanksForNothing: The Sherman and Stuart tanks shown during the assault on Saipan end up as SittingDucks to Japanese artillery fire each time.
90	** The Japanese tanks prove useless for the most part as well, being taken out easily with small arms and flamethrowers, which is almost TruthInTelevision.
91	* TechnicalPacifist: Yahzee starts as one... [[AxCrazy where he ends up is another story]].
92	* TranquilFury: Enders. All the time.
93	* TrojanPrisoner: When Yahzee dresses up as a Japanese soldier and takes his "captive" Enders into a Japanese camp in order to gain access to a working radio.
94	* UnfriendlyFire: Chick was trying to pull this on Yahzee.
95	* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: There were Navajo code talkers, and they really were instrumental in the Pacific Theater,[[note]]Adolf Hitler had served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and knew the Allies had used similar code talkers in that war - he sent covert agents to study Native American dialects before the United States entered the war. Knowing this, the US did not use the Navajo code talkers in Europe. Instead, Code Talkers in the ETO were Comanche, whose native language is even more obscure than Navajo.[[/note]] but the characters in this movie are all fictional.
96	** At least the posters say "inspired by" rather than "based on".
97	* WarIsHell: As far as Hollywood allows, this trope is taken to the extreme. Mutilation of bodies, everyone dropping dead like slaughtered animals, extensive use of [[ZergRush banzai charges]], accidental friendly fire, {{Mercy Kill}}s for friends...
98	** The very worst part of the Battle of Saipan, the mass-suicide of Japanese civilians on the battle’s final day (with Japanese soldiers shooting those who hesitated to kill themselves), is not shown. Probably for the best.
99	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the inhabitants of the village during and after the IJA attack?
100	** The historical record doesn’t bode well for them.
101	* WhiteMaleLead: Advertised as the saga of how Navajo Indians used their language to create an unbreakable code that helped win World War II in the Pacific, the entire movie ends up revolving around Nicolas Cage and demotes the Navajo windtalkers to the sidelines.
102	* WideEyedIdealist: Yahzee. He's just [[NaiveNewcomer an idealistic guy]] [[JumpedAtTheCall who wants to protect his country]] and then spread awareness of native culture as a teacher.
103	* YoungEntrepreneur: Youthful Marines Pappas and Ox display hopes of achieving this once they get out of the service. Pappas hopes to start a "fleet of taxis" and Ox is hoping that he can be the person to develop strawberry yoghurt.
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Context Film / Windtalkers