The World's Fastest Indian is a
2005 film based on the
Invercargill,
New Zealand speed bike racer
Burt Munro and his highly modified
Indian Scout motorcycle. Munro set numerous land speed records for motorcycles with engines less than 1000 cc at the
Bonneville Salt Flats in
Utah in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. Some suggest his records may never be broken.
The film stars
Academy Award winner
Anthony Hopkins and was written and directed by
Roger Donaldson. The film opened in December
2005 to positive reviews
[The World's Fastest Indian at RottenTomatoes.com] and quickly became the highest grossing local film at the New Zealand box-office taking in $7,043,000;
[New Zealand box office Top 10] and taking in over $11 million overseas.
[The World's Fastest Indian (2005)]
Plot
Burt is loved in his community for his friendly and charming personality and for being featured in
Popular Mechanics magazine (May 1957 p6) for having the fastest motorcycle in
Australia and
New Zealand. However, that recognition is contrasted by his exasperated neighbours, who are fed up with his un-neighbourly habits such as urinating on his
lemon tree every morning, neglecting his yardwork, and, most of all, waking up before sunrise to rev his bike.
