Windtalkers: Ultimate Edition | Blu-ray (MVD Marquee)
RELEASE DATE: October 9, 2018
On October 9, 2018, MVD Marquee Collection will be releasing a 2-Disc Ultimate Edition Blu-ray for the World War II actioner, Windtalkers, from acclaimed Hong Kong director, John Woo (Manhunt, The Killer).
In the brutal World War II Battle of Saipan, Sergeant Joe Enders (Academy Award® Winner* Nicolas Cage, Face/Off, Leaving Las Vegas) guards – and ultimately befriends – Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach, Suicide Squad), a young Navajo trained in the one wartime code never broken by the enemy, the Navajo Code. But if Yahzee should fall into Japanese hands, how far will Enders go to save the military’s most powerful secret?
John Woo directs this ”exciting” (Premiere) ”against-all-odds battle adventure” (The Toronto Star) co-starring Peter Stormare (Fargo), Noah Emmerich (The Americans), Mark Ruffalo (Avengers: Infinity War) and Christian Slater (Broken Arrow) and written by John Rice and Joe Batteer (Blown Away) and inspired by the true story of the Navajo soldiers whose courage and sacrifices helped win the war in the Pacific.
Here’s a list of the set’s Special Features:
- Includes both the 134 minute Theatrical Version and the 153 minute Director s Cut
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p, 2.40:1) presentations of both versions of the film
- Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Audio Commentary with Director John Woo and Producer Terence Chang
- Audio Commentary with Christian Slater and Nicolas Cage
- Audio Commentary with actor Roger Willie and real-life Navajo code talker consultant Albert Smith
- ”The Code Talkers — A Secret Code of Honor” (23:12)
- WWII Tribute Piece ”American Heroes: A Tribute to Navajo Code Talkers” (9:00)
- ”The Music of Windtalkers” (4:30)
- Four Fly-on-the-Set Scene Diaries (23:37)
- ”Actors Boot Camp” Featurette (15:05)
- Behind The Scenes Photo Gallery
- Windtalkers Theatrical Teaser and Original Theatrical Trailer
Pre-order Windtalkers from Amazon.com today!
Any word on the extras? Not a huge fan of this movie but if it has some good behind the scenes or commentaries I may pick it up.
No word yet, but we’ll keep an eye out!~
I’m one of 5 people who liked this movie. I was sad when it got it’s critical lashing.
I heard nothing but bad things. Is it better than Broken Arrow?
I always felt like this is John Woo’s forgotten Hollywood movie. People remember his good ones (Hard Target, Face/Off), his bad ones (Broken Arrow, Paycheck), & even his middle-of-the-road efforts (M:I 2, Blackjack)…but ‘Windtalkers’ seems to constantly take people by surprise that, oh yeah, it was Woo’s war movie!
I thought Broken Arrow was a fantastic Hollywood romp. It definitely didn’t have Woo’s signature, but he did a great job adapting to a different style. I felt like it was everything blockbuster should be; Fast paced, snappy dialogue, classic hero/villain dynamic, and everyone looked like they were having fun.
I also liked Paycheck and felt it was undeserving of its reputation.
Blackjack was just a huge letdown, and just like the English language Once A Thief, Woo had very little to do with its final result.
I didn’t think Windtalkers did anything wrong. Considering that the Navajo code talkers have such a great story, I wish there was more focus on them, and Peter Stormare has a terrible southern accent, but I guess Woo didn’t want the movie to be a history lesson.
The director’s cut DVD set was great, and I liked how the characters were fleshed out more. But I thought Cage and Beach had great hemestry, and the movie was intense. Not nearly the mess it was made out to be by critics.
I know we all have to admit that not everything our favorite directors do is golden, and I may seem too forgiving, but it’s my honest feeling about Woo’s other films.
Broken Arrow didn’t have Woo’s signature? You can’t be serious.
Compared to The Killer, it’s not his style. Otherwise, there would have been a lot more two handed balletic gun action and a higher body count as well as heavier themes of honor.
Sure there was use of slow motion, reflections, premonition of danger, the standoff between Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis, and the reference to The Killer when he pulled a gun out of her waistband, but Woo was arguably toning it down.
My only interest is if this Edition contains the Director’s Cut in BD / remastered quality or not.
Apart from that I’d specify my relationship with this movie as “it’s complicated”. I loved some of the action scenes, the blood, pyrotechnics or the concept, but the acting and patriotism make me cringe at every occasion.
Remember the horrible, horrible opening battle scene?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SahJY85DRw
As actioner it may have its raison d’être, as a war movie it’s utter trash. I’d take Letters from Iwo Jima everyday over this turd – but Windtalkers has all the John Woo explosions and slow-motion…
Don’t buy this “Ultimate Edition” because it is far from it. The audio on the Director’s Cut is the same 384 kbps audio from the old 3 disc DVD. The theatrical cut has lossless DTS-HD master audio.
Some say the disc has deleted scenes, but for the life of me I can’t find them on my copy. DVDTALK review of it mentions some 15 minutes, but my case didn’t list them and they don’t appear on the discs as far as I can see. I liked this movie and actually prefer the DC. As someone else mentioned, the characters are fleshed out. In the theatrical cut, we keep hearing the letters written to Joe, but in the DC they share that moment early in the film in the car (shown in the trailers) and that helps make their relation more developed.