Film's subtle racism and stereotypes.

While you attempt to make some valid points, you have to resort to homophobia.
"Jodie can't play a straight women to save her life."
You're just as bigoted as the film-makers, if not more. Look at yourself before you attack other people. Hate comes in all guises.

I do agree with XcardfiendX, indeed this movie is full of racism and stereotyps. Why do movies always picture women as victims, and thugs, gangstas, skinheads, etc as threats? A much more interesting point of view would have been to portray a couple of homosexuals, one skinhead and one thug (imagine Edward Norton and Snoop Dog) gently taking out their dog (probably a pitbull) in Central Park, when they get assault by crazy, violent upper-middle class women coming directly from the cast of Sex and the City. Too bad Snoop is killed and Edward trumatized, seaks for revenge... There, at least XcardfiendX feelings won't be hurt.

Come on let's be reasonable this film try so hard to be racilaly balanced that all the good guys are coming from minorities: good black cop, comprehensive black neighbour, helpfull latino girl... The only ethnicity who indeed is potrayed only badly is whites: lazy cops, drunk husband killer, violent unstable woman seeking for revenge...

So yes if we want to be the devil's advocate, this movie is stereotyped, and if one argues that stereotypes are a form of racism, maybe this movie is slightly racist, but defently not for the reasons describe by XcardfiendX. But i do not believe this link, i prefer to think that stereotypes are just concealing society problems hypocrtically.

However this was not the point of the movie. If the movie is so racially balanced it is probably to avoid the "unfair" and "misused" racial card. The point of the movie is indeed to shock, but not on racial issues. It shocks because it goes against the trend that womens trauma is purely self destructive but can be socially destructive (revenge), a feeling generally associate with men. This way the film is defenetly feminist, at least as the dictionary's definition states feminism :"a total equality between men and women".

It is interesting to see how many in this post has considered her reaction as wrong, especially self proclaimed feminists... But our socity are full of heroes seaking for retaliation that does not raw so much outcry: Dark Night, Punisher (for comic books), Man on Fire, many Bruce Willis movies (for movies)... There lies the main debate!

Many would argue that it has been done before (if it has been done i have forgotten or haven't watched it) but the alikes: "Sleeping with my enemies", "Enough" do not bring the same message. In those, women learn to defend themselves, stop the agression, in this one she goes a step further she seaks revenge.

thanks for the laughs. whew. that was a fun rant to read. agree with you on every point -- especially the 'can't play a straight woman' one. indeed, i was watching her and thinking, if that's not a dyke (pardon the language), i don't know what is.
totally disgusting stereotypes -- not just of minorities but of nyc in general. whoever wrote this, doesn't know new york.

Funny how all these members of different races appeared in the movie portraying their race the way they did...think about that and what you said.
They are portraying the side of their race they don't agree with and they wish would change.

"No, I don't want this to be a generic racism thread but I haven't gotten so offended by a movie due to stereotypes in a while. I'm half Chinese and half Puerto Rican and was so annoyed at the crappy overdone portrayal of New York. My minds a lil mixed up right now so I'll just make bullet points for the things that bothered me. Race-related or not. (Spelling errors I know) "

Idiot little half breed twat.

well i am originally from ny and I dont think that the movie straight too far from how we act in ny the latinos and the blacks, me being Full pr. With the exception of the over done latina on the phone it was pretty realistic. Also dont forget they werent portraying ALL mexicans or All blacks there not enough evidence to show that this was a full stereotype. Now, if every hispanic in the movie was portrayed in this light then yea or if every black was portrayed in this like than so be it... but there was a good guy black cop, and pimp hispanic (he wasnt wearing a tank-top) (Although my cousin that lives in the bronx does talk like that) You also have to understand that the minority(as in the smallest group) of the people in nyc listen to radio head so that part wasnt far fetched but a true reflection.

Yes Jodie Fosters character was a bit too good but thats why its a movie. I think your hatin on the movie just a bit much hahaha and over analyzing a little too much. I dunno I just enjoyed the movie :)

AMEN!!!! WELL SAID!!!!

Hmm...you know what nobody has mentioned so far?

It's not really this movie that is racist (they did a pretty good job - not the best, but pretty good - balancing it out) but that our SOCIETY is racist.

Instead of calling the movie racist and getting outraged over that, why don't we get outraged over the fact that the "American Dream" is kind of a myth to many of the poor people in this movie - it's Sociology, Nature vs. Nurture. I bet many of those thugs probably had terrible childhoods, and I'm not defending their actions AT ALL. They all deserved to be in prison forever.

However, try taking some of the outrage you felt over this movie and channeling it into trying to improve someone else's lives. Write to politicans, volunteer with charities and non-profits that work in impoverished areas, etc.


wofinance though, I must say you are a complete racist piece of s--t for calling the OP a "half breed".