Release postponed

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MGM Distribution Company has moved the release date for the movie Windtalkers, co-starring Aboriginal actor Adam Beach (Dance Me Outside, Smoke Signals) as Navajo code talker Ben Yahzee, to June 14, 2002 because of the war on terrorism sparked by the attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11.

Windtalkers, a story inspired by real events, is directed by John Woo (Mission Impossible II) and stars Nick Cage (Gone in 60 Seconds). On Dec. 8, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. For the next several years, U.S. forces were fully engaged in battle throughout the Pacific, taking over islands one by one is a slow progression towards mainland Japan. During this brutal campaign, the Japanese were continually able to break coded military transmissions, dramatically slowing U.S. progress.

In 1942, several hundred Navajo Americans were recruited as Marines and trained to use their language as code.

The Navajo code was the only one never broken by the Japanese, and is considered to have been key in winning the war.

In Windtalkers, Marine Joe Enders (Cage) is assigned to protect Ben Yahzee (Beach), the Marines new secret weapon. Enders' orders are to protect his code talker, but if Yahzee should fall into enemy hands, he's to "protect the code at all costs."

Against the backdrop of the horrific Battle of Saipan, when capture is imminent, Enders is forced to make a decision: if he can't protect his fellow Marine, can he bring himself to kill him to protect the code?

Windtalkers also stars Peter Stormare, Noah Emmerich, Mark Ruffalo, Brian van Holt, Roger Willie, Frances O'Connor and Christian Slater.

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