Windtalkers opens with serene widescreen shots of clouds over Monument Valley, gradually revealing its stunning mesas. It’s 1943, and a bus collects Navajo volunteers Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) and Charlie Whitehorse (Roger Willie) to be trained as code talkers for the U.S. military, using a secret code based on the Navajo language. The film, directed by John Woo, then shifts to intense combat, focusing on Joe Enders (Nicolas Cage), the lone survivor of a brutal battle. Wounded and burdened by survivor’s guilt, Joe recuperates in Hawaii with the help of a compassionate nurse (Frances O’Connor). Concealing his hearing loss, Joe is assigned as Yahzee’s battlefield bodyguard, tasked with protecting the code at all costs. Initially, Yahzee and Whitehorse face prejudice, particularly from Rogers (Noah Emmerich). However, as the unit moves to Saipan, the Marines come to value the code talkers.
Woo crafts a powerful drama, with visceral battle scenes and strong performances from Cage, Beach, Willie, Slater, Emmerich, and O’Connor, who conveys the poignancy of love in uncertain times.