White Man's Burden movie review (1995)

Travolta plays Louis Pinnock, a man who has been sent to his boss' home to deliver a package. Belafonte is the factory owner, Thaddeus Thomas. Louis is hard-working, has a good record at the factory, and is happy to do this extra work on a voluntary basis in order to score points with his superiors. Told to go around to the rear door of the mansion, he pauses uncertainly on the lawn and happens to see the rich man's wife, dressed only in a towel.

Thaddeus sees Louis on the lawn, and jumps to the conclusion that he is a peeping tom. But he doesn't make any accusations. He simply suggests, at a social function, that the factory "choose another man" the next time they send someone over. It is a well-known function of organizations that orders from the top get amplified on the way down, so that a wish becomes an edict. Louis is fired.

This is not good. He has a family to feed. His wife Marsha (Kelly Lynch) fears they'll be evicted. In desperation Louis goes to Thaddeus' home to plead his case, but is turned away. And so, in desperation, he kidnaps the rich man - looking not for ransom but for justice.

It's at this point that the movie goes off the rails. It turns into a routine kidnapping thriller, complete with an extended chase scene, violence and confrontations with the police. Inevitably, Thaddeus and Louis develop respect for one another, and the millionaire learns a lesson. But that's not enough of a payoff for this movie: It's obvious, it's easy, and it comes too late, after action scenes derived from a thousand other films.

What I wish is that the entire film had devoted itself to the examination of its challenging premise. The early scenes are clever and effective at using the reversal gimmick to point out the countless ways that skin color affects behavior, attitudes and expectations. Consider for example the way the white character deals at various points in the movie with black cops. Consider the cops' assumptions. Savor the dialogue at the dinner party early in the film, where the black millionaire entertains his guests with bemused racist generalizations. Watch the way the millionaire's wife reacts when her son comes home with (gasp!) a white girl. I only wish the film had pushed on, dealing with many more social situations in the same way.

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