After reading over 200 reviews of "Wind", most of which praise it to the stars and rave and rave on, there is little I can add to such comments as "stirs the soul", "takes your breath away", "one of the best movies of all time", "should be on the shelf of every family with children", and "should be required viewing for young people and anyone bored with life". This film, one of the best examples of director Carroll Ballard's magic, will knock your socks off and blow you away with its excitement but realism (you will hear and feel the boats groaning and keening with the wind stresses!), and GREAT MESSAGES - It is about losing everything, and winning it all back again through individual and team angst and sheer will (I have shown parts of it to my science students not just for the physics of sailing, but for these timeless messages). Sailor or not, no matter how many times you watch it, it leaves you glowing for hours.

Or so says Abigail Weld (played by Rebecca Miller) at about the mid-point of Wind. Personally, I hadn't thought about it much either way. But I'm also not sure what director Carroll Ballard's own views on the subject are, or if he was at all successful in getting them on film. He certainly makes the sailboats into quite a brilliant on-screen spectacle, but there's a lack of personal feeling here. A missing piece to the overall picture. There's certainly a huge emphasis on human-to-human drama that Ballard's four other features lack. Coming from the director who, by this point, had made a pair of highly personal films where the two main themes were isolation and loneliness, I somehow found that aspect to be conspicuously lacking from Wind.The film opens underwater, looking up into the sun and a man floating on the surface. Will Parker (Matthew Modine) winds his way through the cove as Kate Bass (Jennifer Grey) looks on. It feels almost like a scene out of The Black Stallion. He comes to shore, and they talk about what could or may happen in his future. Matthew Modine is a good actor, and he tends to play normal, everyday people. He's likable, sure he is. I doubt that anyone truly hates Modine as an actor. But the character of Will Parker doesn't have a whole lot of deep internal conflict. Sure, he has decisions to make - but nothing resembling the dark corners of the soul in a character like Tyler from Never Cry Wolf. Actually, most of the other performances are quite good, if a bit underdeveloped. Stellan Skarsgård, in particular, is enjoyable to watch.There's lots to enjoy about Wind - if you're not looking for anything complicated. From a scriptwriting standpoint, a central theme is either missing, or maybe a little confused. Events and conversations seem to repeat themselves in an attempt to overfill in the blanks. But here's the problem - for all intents and purposes, the film doesn't really begin until 48 minutes in. When the scene shifts to six months later in the Nevada desert, it quickly becomes clear that anything which happened previously was merely a set-up for the rest of the film. In fact, the ensuing scenes are of all far higher caliber than those preceding them. A certain parallel comes up between the recapture of the America's Cup and the subplot of Will trying to get back together with Kate. Not exactly the most original bit of scripting ever.So what really makes Wind worth the watch? The real star of the film - its cinematography. This is truly a great-looking film. John Toll makes a lot of what might otherwise be dull technical work into a stunning visual display. Many scenes stand out beyond his obviously brilliant work in the sailing sequences. The part where Kate tests a sail out in the desert is absolutely breathtaking. Just like Carroll Ballard's other films, the most visually stunning photography is in the quiet moments. But since Wind runs a little short on those, the camera-work doesn't find much time to wander. The music, on the other hand (composed by Basil Poledouris) is really nothing special. He does everything well but nothing new. This is not a movie you go to for its soundtrack. It must be said that the lack of overall cohesion in this film is disappointing. It is a very slight story, not possessing of any real meat or meaning. The actors have neither the quality of dialogue nor the specific motivation to live up to John Toll's cinematography.I've read interviews where Carroll Ballard talked about his relative unease with the drama between characters in this film, how it didn't flow as well as expected. And I sympathize with that. But at the end of it all - who really cares about the America's Cup anyhow? Not the average film-goer, apparently. And, unfortunately, not me either.

This film attracted me because of the plot involving the America's Cup race. I don't remember the film ever being shown in the cinema during the 1992 release period. I suppose that the film didn't succeed in first run or in video release either.Still, after viewing the film it has several good points. The photography is breathtakingly good in the racing scenes. I never grasped how difficult, dangerous, and physically demanding such racing actually is. Normal coverage of the racing is kept at such a distance to avoid influencing the race outcome that most all the intriguing details never reach the lay audience. The film was able to bore in to close range to allow us to see much of what the crew must accomplish to win a race. The physical demands are immense, the crew must be in superb physical and mental condition to have a competitive race entry.The score by Basil Poledoris is just superb. I got hooked on his music after watching 'Red Dawn'. I re-watched 'Wind' just to concentrate on the score. It is amazing how well his music enhances and complements the action on the screen. He can take a so-so portion of the film and turn it into a superb experience. The man is an authentic musical genius!The actors in the film are more of a mixed bag. Matthew Modine, portraying the character 'Will Parker', has this unbelievable blow-dry hair style that is ludicrous for a man in this film. It is obviously retouched after every scene to keep every strand in place. Those scenes where he wears a hat work for me, the rest comes across as farce. The plot has 'Will Parker' as such a wuss that he is willing to dump the woman he loves and follow life-threatening orders to keep his position in the crew of the ship defending the cup.Jennifer Grey has a more believable role as 'Kate Bass'. She is drawn to 'Will Parker' and willing to sacrifice her dreams to help him fulfill his greatest goals. Jennifer was very convincing in this role. She was tanned and obviously very athletic. She let her hair take its natural course on the boat. It was much more convincing than her pretty-boy love interest. 'Kate Bass' pours her heart and soul into the effort to defend the cup, only to run afoul of the 'old-boy network' and be ejected from the team.A smarter man than 'Will Parker' would have stood by his woman and left with her. Her input was vital for the crew and without her, their effort to defend the cup falls short. At least he figures out how to get back on track after moping around in depression for several months.Cliff Robertson phoned in his lines in this film. He obviously had little emotional involvement in providing a good performance. The other supporting actors contributed little to the film. The director obviously fell down in allowing such minimal performances to see the light of day.We get to see some background in the design of a competitive entry in the race. The film briefly touches on this process. In reality, massive computer power and extensive testing of scale models in water tanks are necessary for success. A tiny percentage decrease in drag can lead to a winning entry. Of course, such advances become harder and harder as designs become ever more refined over the years. The sails are one area where significant advances in performance are still possible. The film illustrates how aerodynamic principles can be applied to sail design.Finally, I noted that the crew assembled to sail the new boat were also superb artisans able to build the new design effortlessly. They could do metal work for the beams and ribs as well as lay up the carbon fiber for the hull. The paint scheme for the hull and sails was also first-rate artistically. In reality, skilled professionals and massive production facilities are needed to build a competitive entry. Perhaps I should refrain from such detailed analysis of the details and just enjoy the film.

When I first saw this film a few years ago I was totally amazed, what happened to it upon release? Granted, here in the UK I do not know if it ever got a cinema run, but until it appeared on one of the satellite channels I'd never even heard of it. What a waste!The film does a excellent job of dramatizing a sport that on first appearances to the layman will probably appear boring. A fine balance has to be drawn between exposition and drama, and I believe Wind achieves this admirably. This supported by the many friends who have seen this film upon my recommendation, most with no interest in sailing at all.The two leads are fine, the Aussie skipper is good fun as a typical Aussie! The only bad call is the Abigall Weld character - rapidly becomes annoying and unrealistic.Where the film scores even better is the superb camera work during the racing sequences, in particular the aerial shots - quite breathtaking. No review would be complete without mentioning the films score - quite simply some of the most uplifting and beautiful music I have ever heard.Wonderful film, highly recommended.