The World's Fastest Indian is the newest offering from New Zealander Roger Donaldson, the man behind such impressive films as The Bounty (teaming with Hopkins as the betrayed Captain Bligh over 20 years ago). As well as two well-received political/military pot-boilers No Way Out and Thirteen Days. This time he tells the true story of one of his own country's folk heroes. A slow building charmer, that allows Hopkins a wonderful opportunity to create one of his most memorable characters.

Contrary to any mistaken impression the Boneman's caption might have given you, Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) is not any sort of Indian but rather a New Zealander and the titular Indian refers to the classic brand of motorcycle that he dreams of riding into the record books. In 1962, Munro - a single sixtysomething man living in a small town in the south of New Zealand - grows tired of tinkering with his old 1920 Indian motorcycle and begins racing locals. In his heart, however, he harbors a dream of making it to the Bonneville salt flats of Utah to break a land speed record.

Though there is an air of magic that attends the strange, disheveled old man, his neighbors secretly ridicule his plans as the fanciful notions of a senile mind, and more than a few are not happy about the early morning hammering or the eyesore that his property has become - the unmown lawn and a yard festooned with old bits of jettisoned machinery. But he also has fans in the neighborhood, chiefly a young boy who's also taken a obsessive interest in motorcycles, as well as the woman at the government office where he gets his pension check. After getting a loan he sets out for America, to a teary-eyed send-off from neighbors and the friends he made in the motorcycle gang he'd raced with.

It's been said that the character of Bill Munro is Hopkins favorite of his entire career and the early buzz was the film would most likely garner the celebrated thespian his umpteenth Oscar nomination. Obviously those expectations have not been met. Initial critical ambivalence left the studio at a loss for what to do with a film with no demographical strength and as a result the film has been dumped into a narrow release schedule, with a spotty promotional effort. Thus, instead of tearing across the nation at record breaking speeds, it's sputtered to a veritable halt - posting poor box-office numbers as a result.

The World's Fastest Indian isn't exactly a biopic, we are offered scant information as to what Burt Munro did with the previous 60 some odd years of his life. But once he begins his sojourn - armed with little more than a naive sense of optimism and nursing a bum ticker and a painful prostate - this little film that could, slowly but surely begins to pick up steam.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles he experiences hassles with the shipping of his motorcycle and encounters the gritty realities of urban America while befriending a transgender motel clerk (Chris Williamson) and a used car salesman (Paul Rodriguez) who helps him get a deal on a car to transport him and his bike to Utah. There are a few moments in the film that smack of David Lynch's A Straight Story as there is no phony contrivances or gimmicks - just a sense of subtle magic. Throughout his journey he calmly overcomes the many obstacles in his path with a sense of destiny and a charm bracelet of good Samaritans that assist him on his course. Though it's subtextual, there is a certain spirituality to the film. Take for example, the Indian Medicine man who offers a cure for his prostate condition, and an old widow (Diane Ladd) who helps him locate a few car parts - as well as a little something to get the blood pumping through his problem heart.

Finally arriving at Bonneville he faces trouble with registering his vehicle as well as convincing the officials he is fit to ride. It is again his charming nature and inexorable resolve that allow him to achieve his dream. Not only is The World's Fastest Indian a good character study, but a sweet and simple inspirational parable about the power of kindness and dignity in a world that often tramples such values into the dust.