Ok, so as someone who isn’t Native American, I can see that the depiction of them here is really problematic. That alone takes away quite a bit of the film’s quality for me.
Their role in the story is small, though, so what’s left is mainly about the racism and struggles faced by Chinese people in early 1900s America. I can’t say how accurate it is, but the movie clearly leans toward a strong ideological stance that favors the Chinese perspective.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Movies have always been used as propaganda or political statements. And while the white villains here are over-the-top and almost cartoonish, their racism and behavior aren’t completely unrealistic either.
I’ve seen a lot of American films that are considered propaganda in many parts of the world, does that make them bad films per se? Not really. The bad ones are the ones with awful quality. There are plenty of great films that also serve as propaganda, like Top Gun, American Sniper, Zero Dark Thirty, or even Argo. They still work as entertaining, well-made movies, even if their political messaging is very clear.
I just wish the Native American parts weren’t handled so poorly, because the rest of the movie is actually pretty enjoyable, even with its mix of exaggerated comedy and its proud celebration of Chinese resilience and identity.
Ok, so as someone who isn’t Native American, I can see that the depiction of them here is really problematic. That alone takes away quite a bit of the film’s quality for me.
Their role in the story is small, though, so what’s left is mainly about the racism and struggles faced by Chinese people in early 1900s America. I can’t say how accurate it is, but the movie clearly leans toward a strong ideological stance that favors the Chinese perspective.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Movies have always been used as propaganda or political statements. And while the white villains here are over-the-top and almost cartoonish, their racism and behavior aren’t completely unrealistic either.
I’ve seen a lot of American films that are considered propaganda in many parts of the world, does that make them bad films per se? Not really. The bad ones are the ones with awful quality. There are plenty of great films that also serve as propaganda, like Top Gun, American Sniper, Zero Dark Thirty, or even Argo. They still work as entertaining, well-made movies, even if their political messaging is very clear.
I just wish the Native American parts weren’t handled so poorly, because the rest of the movie is actually pretty enjoyable, even with its mix of exaggerated comedy and its proud celebration of Chinese resilience and identity.
