Film's subtle racism and stereotypes.

I can see how the film would read that way, but in the context of the director's other work I didn't find the film to be objectionable. Neil Jordon has made a career out of deconstructing race and gender, so I was more willing to accept some things in this film that I might otherwise have been uncomfortable with.

That said, the radio call-in scene and the sketch artist scene were embarrassing and the ending seemed a bit too convenient. Still, I found it compelling and well crafted. What would you have preferred? The 900th movie with a random, idiotic, multicultural gang?

,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams

www.myspace.com/ohhorrorofhorrors

statistically women mostly kill with poison, and they usually kill someone they know. a female serial killer is rare, and when one exists they usually kill for profit, "mercy", or as the result of a kind of disorder ("manchausens syndrome by proxy", spelling might not be correct) which means they like the attention they get when there is a tragedy in their family.

so it would be pretty safe to assume that the killer would be a male.

the blokes on the train were stereotypical 'gangsters.' radiohead, u2, and dixie chicks isn't a stereotypically gangster playlist. safe to assume it wasn't his.
also, judging by the times people like that have tried to intimidate me (whether they're black, white, or anything in between) they DO act like that.

and finally, it's a movie. in movies people learn to be well trained in shooting within a few seconds, there's criminals at every single street corner, etc etc.

+ there was nothing wrong with fosters portrayal of the character.

It's obvious that you're so severely oversensitive about race that you see racism where it's not, especially since *gasp* a lot of the stereotypes seen in this film are not only TRUE, but also completely unoffensive. I live around craploads of Mexicans and all of them wear tank-tops so, you know, showing them in tank-tops isn't "racist." If you saw a bunch of white kids in a film and they were wearing hoodies would you be like, "OMG, all white kids don't wear hoodies ALL WAYS!! [sic]" (Because it's "always," by the way.) Portrayal of CLOTHES doesn't display bigotry and racism. It displays an awareness of fashion trend.

Second, I've never met a type of gangland thug black guy like the ones on the subway, and I've met quite a few, who liked Radiohead. Again, accurate. Latinas have accents a lot of the time. Accurate. Again, it's not RACIST to show groups of people in what they tend to listen to. What maybe would have been racist would be to show the black guys on the train scoffing at the kid for reading a book and saying, "Ha ha, I can't read! I'm uneducated!" (Although for a street thug like those guys were, still sorta accurate.) You don't seem to know what the definition of "racism" is. I'm surprised you aren't upset that they've got blacks in the film at all, shouting in response to that: "Not all blacks are that shade of brown, SHOW ALL THE SPECTRUMS OR IT'S RACIST!!"

So let's look at all the non-racist stereotypes in the movie, since you conveniently ignored them:

- Black cop is super-intelligent and cool, which wouldn't be happening in a racist film.
- White lead is engaged to an Indian who, if your "this movie is racist and stereotypical" crap was true, would be running a convenience store and saying "Thank you, come again!" with a thick Indian accent or selling kebabs instead of BEING AN INTELLIGENT AND MUSICAL DOCTOR.
- Black neighbor is kind and looks after Jodie foster, giving her a moral center. I guess the stereotype is that black neighbors do that, since this movie is only ever stereotypical.
- Asian store owner is married (and apparently divorced with a restraining order) to white guy, who kills her. OMG NOT ALL WHITES ARE VIOLENT AND KILL ASIANS, RACIST FILM ALERT!

But wait, OMG! That white kid was, like, a stoner! All white kids aren't stoners who listen to Radiohead you know! Those white cops didn't care about victims of crime but the black one did! You're completely right, THIS FILM IS RACIST!!!! BUT AGAINST WHITES!!!

It's hilarious that you pick out everything you perceive to be against minorities to suit your own twisted urge to call everything racist, while you ignore all the things that show otherwise. People like you need to get a new tune, because you're the only ones screaming "racist" anymore and making it true.

Also you're mixing up racism and stereotypes with problems you have with the plot of the film, which is sorta... well, lame.

- - -

Whether they find life there or not, I think Jupiter should be considered an enemy planet.

Not one bad person in this movie was a woman (as if that's realistic--but obviously realism isn't what this piece of you know what was going for).

[deleted]

[deleted]

The 2 punks in the train were black, but there were other people of color in the film who were not low-life. The father and son the punks chased from the train were also black. Her neighbor who patched her up was also black. I lived in New York City for 20 years, a very long time ago. Even then there were plenty of streets where it wasn’t safe, day or night. Even in good neighborhoods walking alone on an empty street at night felt scary. Me and some friends were jumped by a group of kids of the same race as us who apparently just thought that was a fun activity. But there were other areas where night life was vibrant. Think “Sex and the City.”

As far as shooting accuracy, I once had an intense week course on small arms (revolver, semi-automatic pistol, semi-automatic rifle, automatic ejection shotgun). Although I am a klutz with poor hand-eye coordination, the first time I used a gun at the firing range (after instruction on stance and grip) I found I was pretty good at hitting the target when I took careful aim. I realize hat is a lot different than hurried shooting under stress, but it seems possible.