Windprints

This moody, mystery (of a sort) is a real gem. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and my only complaint is that it ended too quickly! Sean Bean has an amazing facility with accents and demonstrates his wonderful acting ability in the von heerdon character - showing the embarrasment,anger and angst that an elightened afrikaaner feels about the apartheid-bound stupidities in his world. John Hurt also does a good job with the older journalist who condemns but in effect condones because he wont question the system. All this is wrapped up in the search for a killer - a killer that becomes more to von heerden than a story. Without giving anything away, the end of the movie, while totally predictable, is so angst-filled that i ended up crying for von heerden. Oh, and catch the music at the end of the film - great stuff!

This movie was beautifully done. Although it is paced slowly, the suspense kept me glued to the screen. The ending was a bit too abrupt, however.

This is early Sean Bean and Prime John Hurt. The Photography and Direction are very reminiscent of Michelangelo Antonionini, but not as "out there". The similarity was clearest in the use of silence, particularly during grand, panoramas of windswept desolation. Whether in the American deserts or London parks, Antonionini gave us a sense of presence which is seldom found. He had us sitting, and viewing, and listening. Here, we also hear the wind and watch the dust devils forming and moving in their dance. We feel.

This seemed to be an intimate "behind the scenes" look at Africa during Apartheid, with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Many cultural beliefs and daily lifestyles shown in an extremely believable manner. I'm not sure how, but I felt that I was there.

There was a simple plot, but with enough twists to maintain interest. Without a needlessly complex web, the focus was on authentically portrayed lifestyles and location. One could felt the heat, the dust and the people. I could easily picture several of my African friends in the scenes. This was an undiscovered gem.

Nhadiep is a Namibian who is killing his own people; namely farm labourers. The Namibian peoples believe him to be a mythical man - who is like the wind.

Anton van Heerden (Sean Bean), a news cameraman, is sent to work with veteran news journalist, Charles Rutherford (John Hurt). Charles is making an in-depth news story about this strange and illusive renegade Nhadiep. Anton becomes fascinated with the story and gets deeply involved in finding out more of Nhadiep.

Is Nhadiep real or a phantom killer? Will the authorities ever catch this serial killer?

An intriguing story that I found myself drawn into. Worth a watch if you ever come across this rare film.

8/10.

Superbly acted drama that captures the racial tensions of South Africa. Bean, aside from his dodgy blonde mullet, is brilliant as the supremely talented John Hurt. It also works as a travelogue and some of the camera work is spellbinding. The supporting cast is also very strong and the script strikes a nice balance between showing sympathy and the reality of situation of both parties. Bean handles the South African accent superbly and shows great sensitivity. I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't watched it yet but it is worth the wait.One of those movies that slipped under the radar. Like a fine wine it looks even better with 20 years of maturing under it's belt.