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The World's Fastest Indian
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
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  1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    91
    It's a low-key, subtly inspirational drama that builds its charm slowly but surely.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    88
    Fast, funny, big-hearted.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    88
    Rarely do movies portray the elderly with such admiration and respect.
  4. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    83
    This film would be better if it wasn't so slick. Still, parts of it are enjoyably shaggy, and Hopkins is very endearing.
  5. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    83
    Both handmade and souped-up, it beautifully renders two types of camaraderie: the bonds among eccentrics and the fellowship of speed.
  6. Empire
    Reviewed by: Miles Fiedler
    80
    A wonderfully uplifting and charming biopic that's sure to win over all but the most mean-spirited. And the motorbike races really rocket, too.
  7. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    This is one of Anthony Hopkins' most endearing, least showy performances.
  8. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    75
    Whether he'll achieve his goal of setting the world land-speed record for motorcycles is never in doubt, of course, but getting to a film's climactic scene has rarely been more fun.
  9. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    Hopkins' larger-than-life performance as the crusty and crafty Burt rivets your attention for two solid hours in this most entertaining labor of love.
  10. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    75
    It's giving nothing away to say that Munro makes it to Bonneville, and breaks the record - which apparently still stands - on his two-wheel contraption.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    The World's Fastest Indian might be the world's worst title for a charming, slice-of-life biopic.
  12. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    Does what it sets out to do: educates about a mostly unknown historical figure (without doctoring the facts too much), entertains, and uplifts.
  13. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Jessica Letkemann
    75
    A sweet, watchable little film.
  14. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    75
    All the hammy acting and meandering storytelling in the world can't drown the essential appeal of the story.
  15. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    70
    Hopkins' performance flat-out works.
  16. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    70
    A warm, spacious road movie with a stirring sense of the wide-open landscapes of the American West.
  17. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    70
    Hopkins delivers such a warm, winning performance that it's hard not to be won over by his loopy charm and monomaniacal passion. The film is about a man whose need for speed takes on an existential and spiritual dimension, but it's precisely its rambling, meandering, unhurried affability that makes it such a low-key pleasure.
  18. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Mark Holcomb
    70
    The result is a film as tenacious, peculiar, and likable as Burt Munro himself.
  19. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Crust
    70
    Based on the real-life exploits of Munro, it's a boilerplate fish-out-of-water/road trip/underdog sports movie -- but it's a heck of a ride with Hopkins leading the way.
  20. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    70
    This is a film that wears a smile button on its sleeve along with its happy heart. It believes that most people are absolutely wonderful, and it is well enough made so that a dusting of that dogged optimism is bound to rub off on you.
  21. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    Sometimes shticky biopic overcomes its cornball conventionality to become a genial entertainment, thanks to Anthony Hopkins' exceptionally engaging performance.
  22. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    70
    Roger Donaldson's film is endearing in its own right as a celebration of a strong-willed eccentric, and memorable as a showcase for a brilliant actor in a benign mode.
    All this critic's reviews
  23. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Joshua Katzman
    70
    This compelling fact-based story is his (Roger Donaldson) best effort in years.
  24. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    67
    All one needs to know about Burt Munro, the real-life New Zealand codger and Indian motorcycle enthusiast who in 1967 set a land speed record that still stands today, comes midway through this unabashedly sentimental wall of schmaltz.
  25. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    67
    The cockeyed devotion with which writer-director Roger Donaldson dramatizes the story of New Zealand motorcycle legend Burt Munro and his classic 1920 bike in The World's Fastest Indian is in direct proportion to the cockeyed devotion with which Munro himself pursued his lifetime goal of setting a land-speed record at Bonneville Flats, Utah.
  26. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Janice Page
    63
    The film is at its best in Utah, both because in David Gribble's exhilarating cinematography we finally get to feel the full power and intoxication of the sport.
  27. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    63
    The World's Fastest Indian may be the world's slowest movie.
  28. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    63
    I recommend it to anyone who needs proof that people past 60 have dreams, skills and/or sex lives.
  29. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    50
    Even a nice chianti couldn't help you wash down this lump of tear-jerking twaddle.
  30. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    50
    Slogs pokily along and never quite picks up speed.
  31. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Bill Gallo
    50
    The World's Fastest Indian is not likely to be regarded as some kind of masterpiece--far from it--but Hopkins once more keeps our ears open and our eyes fixed on the screen.
  32. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    50
    As the movie's tag line has it, it's based on a hell of a story. Too bad they didn't just tell it.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. sreekiran
    8
    Bottom line: Slow, immersive, and also catch me if you can kind of belief, rather unusual and very engaging, inspirational at times with effortless performance from Antony Hopkins. Quite impressive it was. What it lacked? It lacked a fast screenplay.… Full Review »
  2. Josko
    8
    An inspiring story of a man who wills himself through adversity to achieve a lifelong dream of setting the world land speed record. Burt Munro, played to perfection by Anthony Hopkins, accomplishes this task despite his deteriorating health conditions, the cultural shock of traveling to a foreign nation, and struggling to have his racer admitted into the competition because his vehicle is considered substandard and dangerous. A fantastic film. See it.… Full Review »
  3. haole
    9
    Inspirational movie about following your dreams. I would highly recommend it as the perfect family movie for all ages. Anthony Hopkins plays the role perfectly.… Full Review »
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