Why should anyone watch this, it's just a couple of Asian guys yammering for 80 minutes. No stars. No breathtaking scenery. It's even in black & white! But using the rudiments of filmmaking technology, ace director Wayne Wang bursts the myth of San Francisco's Chinatown as a mysterious, unknowable "foreign" territory. This is a story of American characters dealing with dilemmas specific to the Asian community. Its insider's look at Asian American culture remains a breakthrough for Asian American fictional cinema. (New Yorker Home Video)

THE CHALLENGE  
(1982)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Screenwriter: Richard Maxwell, John Sayles
Producer: Robert L. Rosen, Ron Beckman
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Fight Coordinator: Steven Segal
Distributor: Rank Film Distribution, LTD
Cast: Scott Glenn, Toshiro Mifune, Atsuo Nakamura, Donna Kei Benz, Kezunaga Tsuji, Kanata Uyeno, Eriko Sugita, Miiko Taka, Sab Shimono, Shogo Shimada, Minoru Sanada, Hisashi Osaka, Yuko Okamoto, Katsutoshi Nakayama, Kiyoaki Nagai, Sanaye Nakahara, Seiji Miyaguchi, Pat McNamara, Taw Matsuda, Clyde Kusatsu, Kusuo Kita, Shigehiro Kino, Akio Kameda, Calvin Jung, Yoshio Inaba, Masatoshi Ishikawa, Masao Hisanori, Muneshisa Fujita, Kenta Fukasaku, Naoto Fujita, Toshio Chiba, Henry Celis, Pamela Bowman, Roy Andrews, Ryuji Yamashita, Clyde Kusatsu

John Frankenheimer draws on the screenwriting talents of John Sayles in a martial arts thriller starring Scott Glenn as American boxer Rick Murphy. PLOT: Within this John Frankenheimer martial art/thriller - in Kyoto (35 years earlier), the elderly Takeshi hands down two sacred samurai swords, or katanas, to his oldest son, but they are stolen by his other son who has his father killed and subsequently loses one of the swords during World War II.

Thirty-five years later the sword is found in Los Angeles, and Rick, a burned-out boxer, is hired to go to Japan to deliver the sword to Yoshida, a highly revered master samurai. But he's kidnapped in Osaka by Hideo's henchmen; Hideo has now become an evil and immensely wealthy businessman. After Toshio (Sab Shimono), Yoshida's son, is murdered by Hideo's goons, Yoshida manages to free Rick from his brother's compound.

Despite the boxer's crude arrogance and contempt for Asian mores, he agrees to submit to martial arts instruction from Yoshida. As his training progresses, he's filled with a sense of self-respect long absent from his life, and the new allies look toward the final battle with Hideo. Sayles adds depth to the martial arts genre, exploring themes of honor, the corruption of wealth, and the end of the samurai tradition. The director keeps things moving along briskly, with a solid Glenn, a typically magnificent Mifune, and martial arts choreography by Steven Seagal. (Rotten Tomatoes) What is especially noteworthy about this film is its portrayal of strong Asian/Asian American males that was definitely going against stereotype.  

GANDHI
(1982)
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Martin Sheen, Ian Charleson, Athol Fugard, Günther Maria Halmer, Saeed Jaffrey, Geraldine James, Alyque Padamsee, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Rohini Hattangadi, Ian Bannen, Richard Griffiths, Nigel Hawthorne, Bernard Hepton, Om Puri, Harsh Nayyar, Vijay Kashyap, Neena Gupta, Shane Rimmer, Peter Harlowe, Winston Ntshona, Alok Nath, Norman Chancer, Raj Chaturvedi, Anthony Sagger, David Gant, Daniel Day-Lewis, Avis Bunnage, Caroline Hutchinson, Dina Nath, John Savident, John Patrick, Michael Godley, Christopher Good, David Markham, Jalal Agha, Bernard Hill, Graham Seed, Gerald Sim, Sanjeev Puri, Vijay Crishna, Geoffrey Chater, Monica Gupta, John Ratzenberger, Charu Bala Chokshi

While a bit too self-consciously noble, this highly honored epic remains an inspiring parable on the power of peace over violence. Besides, British star Ben Kingsley (formerly Krishna Bhanji) is, to date, only ethnic Asian with a Best Actor Oscar (note: the Haing Ngor of the film "The Killing Fields"

UTU
(1983)
Directed by Geoff Murphy
Cast: Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Wi Kuki Kaa, Kelly Johnson, Tim Elliot, Merata Mita, Tania Bristowe, Martyn Sanderson, John Bach, Ilona Rodgers, Geoff Murphy, Tom Poata, Sean Duffy, Ian Watkin, Stephen Tozer, Peter Rowell

In 1870, Te Wheke (Wallace), a Maori corporal in the colonial New Zealand Army, snaps after the army's massacre of his village and vows "utu" (vengeance) against the British colonists. This story of Te Wheke's guerilla war (taking more than a few cues from the Hollywood Western) is superbly crafted and stands as perhaps the most highly praised New Zealand film of all time. But even though Te Wheke is the film's central figure, the story seems more concerned with the colonials' hunt for him. This blunts our understanding of both Te Wheke as a character and the workings of colonialism. (Fox Video)

THE KARATE KID
(1984)
Directed by John G. Alvidsen
Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove, Randee Heller, William Zabka, Ron Thomas, Rob Garrison, Chad McQueen, Tony O'Dell, Israel Juarbe, William H. Bassett, Larry B. Scott, Juli Fields, Dana Andersen, Frank Burt Avalon, Jeff Fishman, Ken Daly, Tom Fridley, Pat Johnson, Bruce Malmuth, Darryl Vidal, Frances Bay, Christopher Kriesa, Bernard Kuby, Joan Lemmo, Helen Siff, Larry Drake, David Abbott, Holly Basler, Brian Davis, David De Lange, Erik Felix, Peter Jason, Todd Lookinland, Clarence McGee Jr., William Norren, Sam Scarber, Scott Strader

Pat Morita's character, Sensei Miyagi, is basically a variation of the stereotypical Asian "wise man." However, his moving monologue about the Japanese American internment earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Morita as Best Supporting Actor in this very popular movie from the director of "Rocky" (1976). Morita returned to the role of Miyagi in three sequels. The role also enabled Morita to play the title character in the 1987-88 ABC police series "Ohara." (Columbia/TriStar Home Video)

THE KILLING FIELDS
(1984)
Directed by Roland Joffé
Cast: Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, John Malkovich, Julian Sands, Craig T. Nelson, Spalding Gray, Bill Paterson, Athol Fugard, Graham Kennedy, Katherine Krapum Chey, Oliver Pierpaoli, Edward Entero Chey, Tom Bird, Monirak Sisowath, Lambool Dtangpaibool, Ira Wheeler, David Henry, Patrick Malahide, Nell Campbell, Joan Harris, Joanna Merlin, Jay Barney, Mark Long, Sayo Imaba, Mow Leng, Chinsaure Sar, Hout Ming Tran, Thach Suon, Neevy Pal

This highly acclaimed film tells the true story of reporters Sydney Schanberg (Waterston) and Dith Pran (Ngor), set against the bombing of Cambodia and Pol Pot's death camps. For his portrayal of a man who narrowly escapes Cambodia's harrowing holocaust, Ngor won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. However, some will argue that Ngor's role is the film's true lead character.

DIM SUM - A LITTLE BIT OF HEART
(1985)
Directed by Wayne Wang
Studio: Orion
Produced by Tom Sternberg, Wayne Wang and Danny Yung
Screenplay by Terrel Seltzer
Photographed by Michael Chin
Edited by Ralph Wikke
Music by Todd Boekelheide
Cast: George Wu, Elsa Cruz Pearson, John Nishio, Cora Miao, Nora Lee, Amy Hill, Ida F O Chung, Keith Choy, Joan Chen, Jarrett Chew, Mary Chew, Helen Chew, Kim Chew, Laureen Chew, Rita Yee, Victor Wong, Victor Wong

Departing from the rough-hewn quality of "Chan Is Missing" - Wang delicately observes the misunderstandings and unspoken affection between an immigrant Chinese mother and her American daughter (played by a real-life mother and daughter). It's remarkable how Wang deals with complex set of emotions, in a movie that is essentially a comedy. Some of the scenes in "Dim Sum" are quietly funny. This is especially seen at Mrs. Tam's birthday party where a long conversation she has over the back fence with a neighbor, and the way Uncle Tam effortlessly mixes his Chinese wisdom with the lessons he has learned as a bartender. The movie is not heavily plotted, and that's good; a heavy hand would spoil this fragile material. Wang's camera enters quietly and observes as his characters lead their lives, trying to find a compromise between too much loneliness and too much risk. At the end, everyone is more or less happy, and more or less sad, and in this movie that is satisfactory. In conclusion, the script is richly nuanced and the performances are radiant. A wonderful film. (Pacific Arts Video)

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE
(1985)
Directed by Steven Frears
Cast: Gordon Warnecke, Daniel Day Lewis, Saeed Jaffrey

Skillfully scripted by Hanif Kureishi, this small British film was one of the year's most unexpected hits. A young South Asian Englishman (Warnecke) tries to please his business-minded Pakistani family while secretly carrying on a homosexual relationship with a working class Londoner (Day Lewis). The film deftly blends gritty "kitchen sink" realism with an aura of magic. The low-key performances are all completely on-target.

A GREAT WALL
(1985)
Directed by Peter Wang
Cast: Peter Wang, Sharon Iwai, Kelvin Han Yee

A diverting comedy about a successful Chinese immigrant who returns to the old country with his new Asian American family in tow. This small film has a light touch, and it uses the inevitable clash of cultures as a way to illuminate the characters, not as the butt of cheap laughs. Reportedly the first U.S. production shot in post-revolutionary China, its view of U.S.-Chinese friendship now seems a bit too optimistic in the wake of Tiananmen Square. (Pacific Arts Video)

GUNG HO
(1986)
Directed by Ron Howard
Cast: Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro, So Yamamura, Sab Shimono, Rick Overton, Clint Howard, Jihmi Kennedy, Michelle Johnson, Rodney Kageyama, Jerry Tondo, Dennis Sakamoto, Stanford Egi, Jean Speegle Howard, Thomas Ikeda, Noboru Kataoka, Mariye Inouye, Juhachiro Takada, Jun Lyle Kamesaki, Tamie Saiki, Charlie Samaha, Nann Moog, James Cash, Kim Chan, Bill Dalzell, Tak Kubota, Frank Seals Jr., Maria Barney, Kris Andersson

Cocky Keaton convinces Japanese company to reopen shuttered auto factory in his economically depressed hometown--but doesn't count on culture clash that follows. Extremely lightweight but entertaining comedy. Later a TV series. It does allow a brief glimpse of the conflicts that exists between the Japanese and American definitions of work and success. Film takes a slight chance by having the Keaton character portray an American who is not always right and by showing the Japanese characters of having a heart of compassion. The opportunity of seeing some deserving Asian / Asian Pacific American actors working is also a big plus. One of the best things in the film is the opportunity it gives for Gedde Watanabe to play something more than a ridiculous Asian "nerd" that he plays in all the "Nerds" movies!?!?!

THE KARATE KID 2
(1986)
Directed by John G. Alvidsen
Cast: Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, Pat Johnson, Bruce Malmuth, Martin Kove, Garth Johnson, Brett Johnson, Yuji Okumoto, Joey Miyashima, Danny Kamekona, Raymond Ma, George O'Hanlon Jr., Tamlyn Tomita, Nobu McCarthy, Charlie Tanimoto, Tsuruko Ohye, Arsenio 'Sonny' Trinidad, Marc Hayashi, Robert Fernandez, Natalie N. Hashimoto, Diana Mar, B.D. Wong, Wes Chong, Traci Toguchi,

Literally picking up about five minutes after the conclusion of the 1984 The Karate Kid, this 1986 sequel, also directed by John G. Avildsen, sends Ralph Macchio's and Pat Morita's characters to the latter's home turf in Japan, where the older man is confronted by an old rival, and Macchio's newly confident fighter gets a tougher challenge than the punks back home. Sillier than its predecessor, this follow-up at least has some distracting soap opera elements in Morita's coming to terms with an old flame, while Macchio woos a lovely local girl. Ironically, it's the action that evokes laughter, particularly a climactic fight that gets over the top quickly. --Tom Keogh. In addition, it has the same story of American kid goes to Japan, meets pretty Japanese girl and fall in love. Hmmm

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA
(1986)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Directed by John Carpenter
Cast: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong, Kate Burton, Donald Li, Carter Wong, Peter Kwong, James Pax, Suzee Pai, Chao Li Chi, Jeff Imada, Rummel Mor, Craig Ng, June Kim, Noel Toy, Jade Go, Jerry Hardin, James Lew, Jim Lau, Kenny Endoso, Stuart Quan, Gary Toy, George Cheung, Jimmy Jue, Noble Craig, Danny Kwan, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Once you realize this is a PARTY FILM, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic boogie blast from the Chinese martial art film archieves! Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who finds himself in the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung-fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (the stereotypical white blonde played by Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai playing the traditional bride of an arranged marriage), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey and over the top, but that is what makes it so much fun to enjoy. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial-arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. This is a great party film for a bunch of crazies that enjoys great martial art films!!!

SAMMY AND ROSIE GET LAID
(1987)
Directed by Stephen Frears
Cast: Shashi Kapoor, Frances Barber, Claire Bloom, Ayub Khan Din, Roland Gift, Wendy Gazelle, Suzette Llewelyn, Meera Syal, Badi Uzzaman, Tessa Wojtczak, Elmer Gillespie, Leslie Manville, Mark Sproston, Cynthia Powell, Dennis Conlon, Magussi Shimanuki, Buster Bloodvessel, Peter Kelly, Carol Frazer, Nicholas Pritchard, Valerie Buchanan, Allister Bain, Cleo Sylvestre, Freddie Brooks, Maurice O. Iley, Tariq Alibai, Patrick David, Paul Daley, Agnes Laye, Ade Sapara, Gerard Horan, Anne Wood, Anna Hemery, Allan Adebisi

A dazzling Molotov cocktail of a movie. Frears and screenwriter Kureishi ("My Beautiful Laundrette") team up again to celebrate the fluidity and eroticism of multicultural London. A thoughtful but joyous meditation on the fall of empire and the confusion of identity, this British film is just as relevant to the United States as it is to the United Kingdom.

THE LAST EMPEROR
(1987)
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Cast: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Maggie Han, Ric Young, Vivian Wu, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jade Go, Fumihiko Ikeda, Richard Vuu, Tsou Tijger, Tao Wu, Guang Fan, Henry Kyi, Alvin Riley, Lisa Lu, Hideo Takamatsu, Hajime Tachibana, Liangbin Zhang, Basil Pao, Jiang Xi Ren, Wenjie Huang, Dong Liang, Kaige Chen, Zhendong Dong, Jiechen Dong, Huaikuei Soong, Ruzhen Shao, Constantine Gregory, Yu Li, Guangli Li, Tianmin Zhang, Hongnian Luo, Xu Chunqing, Shihong Yu, Jun Wu, Jingping Cui, Hai Wu, Junguo Gu, Lucia Hwong, Fusheng Li, Shu Chen, Xu Tongrui, Shuyan Cheng, Daxing Zhang, Ruigang Zu, Yuan Jin, Akira Ikuta, Michael Vermaaten, Matthew Spender, Hongxiang Cai, Xinmin Cui, Zhenduo Li, Shigang Luo, Guang Ma, Biao Wang, Baozong Yang, Hongchang Yang, Lingmu Zhang

It's not good history, but this luxurious multiple-Oscar-winner provides a panoramic canvas for some under-rated Asian American acting talent. The fascinating Italian director Bertolucci ("Last Tango in Paris") brings his meticulous style to the story of China's (ready for this?) last emperor, Pu Yi. (imagine how this film would have turned out if Ang Lee, Wayne Wang, Stanley Tong, Yimou Zhang and/or any other Asian/Asian American director would have handled this!?!?!) The sumptuous cinematography by the famous Italian lensman Vittorio Stararo is absolutely yummy. Lone's laser-like performance in the title role holds the sprawling epic together. But despite the fact that this movie won every single one of its Oscar nominations (a rare feat for a Best Picture-winner), it--tellingly--didn't receive a single nod for any member of its Asian cast.

The film stands a proof positive that there's a broad audience for realistic Asian stories and Asian actors in lead roles. How come Hollywood dropped the ball? (Check out Bertolucci's 1994 Asian-theme follow-up, "The Little Buddha," only if you want to hear Keanu Reeves doing bad Indian accent.) (Nelson Home Entertainment)

BACKGROUND HISTORY: Puyi became the "Last Emperor" when his mother (Empress Dowager Cixi) chose him in 1907. Ironically, the previous emperor (37 years old Emperor Guangxu) died the day before his mother died at the age of 73.

His mother, Empress Dowager (1835-1908) was one of the most powerful women in the late 19th century. She started as a concubine and ended up ruling the whole of China. At 16 years old, she became the concubine of the Qing Emperor Xianfeng. As the result of bearing a son, she was raised in rank from a third-grade concubine to a first-grade - second only the Empress herself. She began the famous "rule behind the curtain" by ruling behind the "official throne" of her young sons. This extremely strong, but uneducated ruler, stop modernization of China fearing that it might weaken her power and increase the power of the literati and officials in society. She was credited with the some of the worst things to befall her era. In her old age she suppressed the Reformists, built the Summer Palace with money meant for improving the Chinese navy, and was indirectly responsible for the Boxer Rebellion and the subsequent invasion of Beijing by Western powers.

Jia Yinghua’s (an amateur historian) new book entitled "Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Emperor's Final Marriage" combines new revelations with previously known facts about the deposed "Son of Heaven," Pu Yi, to paint a portrait of a man who was secretly homosexual, who had an affair with a boy eunuch with "red lips and white teeth," who underwent hormone shots to cure impotence and who wound up marrying a woman with a questionable past that was hidden until her death four years ago.

New details includes information on Pu Yi's last wife, Li Shuxian, as a twice-divorced, gold-digging former dance hall hostess who wed him in 1962 expecting wealth and glamour only to discover penury and sexual dysfunction.

ALOHA SUMMER
(1988)
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
Cast: Caron Abellira, Henry Ahnee, Andy Bumatai, Tia Carrere, Warren Chaney, Maurice Char, Mary Ann Chow, Marina Ferrer, Robert Ito, Caro Jones, Danny Kamekona, Lynelle Kono, Sho Kosugi, Vic Leon, Teri Ann Linn, Tina Littlewood, Tina Machado, Chris Makepeace, Ric Mancini, Scott Nakagawa, Joyce Harumi Nakama, Yuji Okumoto, Don Michael Paul, Norman Tang, Ally Walker

Although it latches on to some over-familiar themes (the Pacific as a tourist paradise, the "white knight"), this intimate ensemble piece treats Japanese American life in Hawaii with enough depth and respect to make it worthwhile.

WITCHTRAP
(1988)
Directed by Kevin S. Tenney
Cast: James W. Quinn, Kathleen Bailey, Linnea Quigley

Cheesy & unexceptional horror flick. However, the charismatic Amerasian actor James W. Quinn is cast in the color-blind lead. Rumor was that director Tenney cast Quinn as the male lead in his earlier "Witchboard" (1986), but the casting was vetoed by someone higher-up because an Asian was deemed undesirable for the role. (Magnum Ent.)

BEST OF THE BEST
(1989)
Directed by Bob Radler
Cast: Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee, James Earl Jones

A proficient action movie built around a martial-arts tournament. Although Roberts is touted as the film's star, Rhee turns out to be the main character and saves the day once Roberts in incapacitated. Rhee was also one of the producers and followed this entry with two sequels. If you want to be an Asian American movie star, it looks like you gotta do it yourself. (SVS Inc.)

EAT A BOWL OF TEA
(1989)
Directed by Wayne Wang
Cast: Cora Miao, Russell Wong, Victor Wong, Siu Ming Lau, Eric Tsiang Chi Wai, Lee Sau Kee, Law Lan

While not as thoughtful or as well-crafted as Louis Chu's 1961 novel (upon which it's based), this adaptation still provides another humanizing look at Chinatown and features Russell Wong ("Vanishing Son") in his first starring role.

THE WASH
(1989)
Directed by Michael Toshiyuki Uno
Cast: Mako, Nobu McCarthy, Sab Shimono

Based on Phillip Kan Gotanda's play, this small, intimate movie celebrates the perseverance of love in the face of old age and cultural inhibition. Released theatrically before being aired as part of PBS's "American Playhouse" series, the film features some sterling lead performances from its Japanese American cast (despite Mako's really bad dye job). (Academy Entertainment)

KUMU HULA: KEEPERS OF A CULTURE
(1989)
Directed by Robert Mugge (in collaboration with Vicky Holt Takamine)

A fascinating look into the world of traditional Hawaiian music and dance, this documentary combines energetic concert footage and insightful interviews with contemporary practitioners of this resurgent art form. In these images, we come to see not only an exuberant expression of the human spirit, but also the affirmation of an indigenous culture that came dangerously close to being completely suppressed. Along the way, the films help to dispel many misconceptions. In the end, we learn that there's a lot more to the hula than grass skirts and ukuleles. (Rhapsody Films Inc.)

HAWAIIAN RAINBOW
(1989)
Directed by Robert Mugge

An enjoyable concert documentary on Hawaiian "roots" music by the director of "Kumu Hula" (see above). If you like Hawaiian music, the two films would make a great double feature. (SVS Inc.)

THE COLOR OF HONOR
(1989)
Directed by Loni Ding

An informative and emotional documentary about the Japanese American servicemen of World War II. Balancing vintage newsreel footage and contemporary interviews with surviving veterans, this film begins with the internment, explores the lesser-known aspects of Japanese American participation in the war effort, and touches upon the post-war aftermath. Arguing that the Japanese American contribution to the victory was intentionally censored from the chronicles of war, this documentary succeeds in reclaiming that contribution for future generations. (Vox Productions)

THE KARATE KID 3  
(1989)
Directed by John G. Alvidsen
Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith, Martin Kove, Sean Kanan, Jonathan Avildsen, Christopher Paul Ford, Randee Heller, Pat Johnson, Rick Hurst, Frances Bay, Joseph V. Perry, Jan Tríska, Diana Webster, Patrick R. Posada, C. Darnell Rose, Glenn Medeiros, Gabriel Jarret, Doc Duhame, Randell Dennis Widner, Raymond S. Sua, Garth Johnson, E. David Tetro, Helen Lin, Meilani Figalan

In this third installment of the popular "Karate Kid" series, the original villain returns to get his revenge against Miyagi and Daniel. Kreese, the ex-marine who Miyagi humbled with a few punches and kicks, has never forgotten the bitter taste of defeat. Now he's back with a particularly nasty friend (who illegally dumps toxic waste), and a new trainer -- and he's aching to lure Miyagi and Daniel into the karate fight of their lives. And only one man can win...Noteworthy only because the film provides a continuing presence of an Asian / Asian Pacific American perspective in the general public's eye - and it gave work to a group of deserving Asian Pacific American actors!

CASUALTIES OF WAR
(1989)
Directed by Brian De Palma
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, Don Harvey, John C. Reilly, John Leguizamo, Thuy Thu Le, Erik King, Jack Gwaltney, Ving Rhames, Dan Martin, Dale Dye, Steve Larson, John Linton, Vyto Ruginis, Al Shannon, Wendell Pierce, Sam Robards, Maris Valainis, Darren E. Burrows, Sherman Howard, Holt McCallany, Kady Tran, Scott Gregory, Ennalls Berl, Vinh Than, Somsak, Hataya Sarmount, Ba Thuan T. Le, Nootch, Kwan, J. Chalerm, Sigma, Po Powpi, Shaun Shea, Kristopher Dunn, Donal Gibson, Shane Kerwin, Niran

The reason why this movie was included because it was one of the few movies that accurately displayed the racism that existed during the Vietnam war - where the white guys were really penalized. Many stories of atrocities of the US intervention actually happened, but never told - except for the few exceptions such as the story told in this movie.

Brian De Palma has Michael J. Fox was cast as a soldier in Vietnam in a squad led by Sean Penn. His troup, while on patrol, in the wake of an ambush that has left friends dead - they kidnap and rape a Vietnamese woman - then murdered her! Michael J. Fox's character, one of the soldiers who refused to participate in the rape, is so appalled by the killing that, after much thought and pressure, still decides that he should report the raping of the Vietnamese woman. His action made him be treated as the villain by the rest of the troup.

Sean Penn is scarily tough as the vindictive soldier and De Palma does a solid job of recreating the crime, making it a thing of horror. Thuy Thu Le's acting captured the horror and fear of the Vietnamese woman that was raped and murdered. A lot of credit should be given to the cast and director for making this film. Though it doesn't touch enough of the horror and disgust appropriate for this movie - it does tell enough of the story and its feelings to communicate the many wrongs of the actions.

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