Reading the Code Hong Kong Auteur John Woo Discusses Making Hollywoodís ëWindtalkersí by Ky N. Nguyen As the annual Hong Kong film series returns to the Freer Gallery of Art, audiences are also watching "Windtalkers," director John Wooís latest American feature. The most successful filmmaker from Asia, Woo is also arguably the most influential director in Hollywood todayó part of Hong Kongís continued impact on world cinema ("The Matrix," "The Brotherhood of the Wolf," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). Woo and other talent from "Windtalkers" attended the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony last year at the U.S. Capitol, where President George W. Bush honored World War II Navajo Marine code talkers. "Windtalkers" portrays the complex relationship between the code talkers and their Marine bodyguards. The movie invents an order to protect the code at all costsóincluding killing a code talker to prevent his capture by the Japanese. "I fell in love with the story the minute I heard it," Woo pointed out. "Itís so emotional, a celebration of the human spirit. I had been looking for something different from a generic action film, something our company could develop." Producer Tracie Graham recalled, "I remember after we pitched, Woo stood up, clapped, and said, ëNow thatís my kind of movie!í" Producer Alison Rosenzweig added, "John Woo was our fantasy director, so it was a thrill to have him react so enthusiastically." Wooís long-time producing partner Terrence Chang noted, "John is basically known in the West as an action director, but some of his best films in Hong Kong are largely based on the theme of friendship among men. Heís obviously very good with action, but heís also incredible with actors and drama and telling a story in a way that really affects an audience." Actor Nicolas Cage previously worked with Woo in "Face/Off." He believes John "is the ultimate auteur. His vision is a world I want to work in. Heís very trusting and collaborative with actors. I also believe he likes to work in extremesóhis vision is extreme, and so is mine." Of one scene in "Windtalkers," Chang said, "The first Saipan battle was not originally written to be as big as it now appears in the film. But when you finish a script and give it to a director like John, you have to give him freedom to realize his vision, and he wanted to create huge battle sequences. In the first shot alone, we had 280 explosions and 700 extras. Itís a really huge movie for such an intimate story, certainly the biggest John and I have ever done." Actor Mark Ruffalo, who stars in "Windtalkers," observed of Woo: "Heís incredible. In one particular shot, a steadycam followed us into a ditch where all this hand-to-hand combat was taking place. In one long take, moving from man to man, he had choreographed the whole thing. It was like a one-act play." Wooís next planned project is about the construction of the railroads in the American West. It provides a long-awaited reunion with fellow Hong Kong ÈmigrÈ Chow Yun-Fat, the star in most of Wooís best-known Hong Kong films. On working with producers and stars in Hollywood, Woo insisted, "They have been very supportive." The only downside? Smiling, he remarked, "They have too many meetings." Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.