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Wind (1992)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
10/24
10/24:
Wind is one of the most impressive films I've seen in my life.
This is Chariots of Fire stuff. The subject is unique: competitive sailing.
America's Cup is its World Series which is usually held every three or four years, and it's actually the oldest
competition of any international sport. Back then, no motors were allowed, just the wind, but the rules
have been changed.
Right off the bat, it's the cinematography that raises the quality of the material. That's why
John Toll ended up winning two Oscars (Legends of the Fall and
Braveheart). Then, there is the stunning editing work as evidenced by the final
race for the Cup. That one should've been the Oscar winner for Michael Chandler; there's nothing like it.
Epic doesn't come to my mind for most films, but Wind should be labeled so. Putting the sailboats against
the backdrop of hundreds of spectators and the ocean makes them look larger than life, and there are the
competitors who work furiously to operate these machines. It's truly a spectacle. Wind was never something I thought
too much about, but after seeing the film, it turns out to be the most appropriate title.
The performances are very good. Matthew Modine is perfect for this sort of thing (see
Vision Quest for what I mean), and you can observe the thrill of victory on his face
at the end. But it's Jennifer Grey who gives more to make the film special. The only issue I have is that nobody from the
supporting cast, aside from Cliff Robertson, Stellan Skarsgård, Rebecca Miller, and Jack Thompson, was given ample screen
time to develop their characters. It's a mistake by the director because if I think back to
Chariots of Fire, Rocky,
Major League, Best of the Best
and so on, just about everybody was well-developed, and there were so many of them.
All in all, Wind is an absolute can't-miss that captures the essence of classic filmmaking.