5 Hollywood War Films that Acknowledge the Existence of Asian American Soldiers
Tag Archives: Vietnam War
5 Hollywood War Films that Acknowledge the Existence of Asian American Soldiers
It’s Memorial Day and as we remember those Americans who fought and died for our country, we should also remember that many of these soldiers were Asian Americans. Hollywood has produced its share of war movies, but when you usually see Asian faces in them, they are that of the enemy. However, here are five films that buck that pattern and acknowledge the existence of Asian Americans in the U.S. military. In no particular order:
1) WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)
Director: Randall Wallace
When Asians appear in a Vietnam War film, they are almost always the faceless, pajama-clad bad guys. But in this big screen account of the 1965 Battle of la Drang, Wallace and a pre-mental breakdown Mel Gibson not only portray the Vietcong with more depth than in previous Hollywood movies, but also include the character of Jimmy Nakayama, a real-life Japanese American soldier who fought and died by friendly fire on the battlefield. Played by Honorary Offender/Tokyo Drift villain Brian Tee, Nakayama’s on screen death includes a poignant moment where he asks a reporter to tell his wife and newborn child that he loves them-succinctly driving home the film’s signature line with an emotional wallop that humanizes the cost of war.
Movies That Should Have Starred Asians: A Nightmare On Elm Street
Another entry in my month-long celebration of all things Halloween
In 1984, director/writer Wes Craven released what may be one of the most original horror movies ever made, A Nightmare On Elm Street. The film’s premise was brilliant—a group of teens are stalked and killed in their dreams by a supernatural killer named Freddy Krueger (a star-making turn by Robert Englund). The whole idea that the moment you fall asleep is when the monster will strike was a completely terrifying thought—there’s no other time when we’re more vulnerable and everyone has to sleep eventually so there’s no escape. But where did Craven get the idea for a killer who murders you in your sleep? From reading about the experiences of the newly arrived Hmong immigrants and the mysterious things that were happening to them in America.
Movies That Should Have Starred Asians: The Star Wars Trilogy
It’s easy to criticize films like 21 and the upcoming The Last Airbender for not including Asians among its main cast. But there are other less-obvious movies, that due to their themes or subject matter, could have been even more interesting had they starred Asians. Occasionally, I’ll take a look at such films. I start this tradition with the three collective works that make up the greatest cinematic trilogy ever produced—Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi.
Upon Star Wars’ release in 1977, it was almost immediately criticized by some for its white-washed world devoid of any human characters of color. Star Wars creator George Lucas took the comments to heart and in the next installment of the series (The Empire Strikes Back) added Billy Dee Williams’ super-suave Lando Calrissian to the mix:
