White Man's Burden
A wrongfully persecuted factory worker kidnaps a powerful executive in an alternate America where racial privilege has been reversed.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- angry
- tense
- introspective
- political film night
- social justice discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film earnest but emotionally restrained, ultimately mishandling its racial allegory despite committed lead performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Black citizens occupy the social elite while white citizens endure inner-city poverty and discriminatory policing.
Louis loses his job, is assaulted by police, and is evicted after being misidentified within the racialized alternative society.
Louis kidnaps CEO Thaddeus Thomas and demands justice after institutional abuses destroy his livelihood and home.
Louis is a struggling factory worker whose job loss and eviction threaten his wife and children.
Films like White Man's Burden, and why
A Time to Kill
racial role reversal, institutional discrimination, and confrontational social commentary
The Last Supper
dystopian social hierarchy, racial politics, and morally charged crime drama
District 9
speculative racial allegory, oppressive institutions, and tragic escalation
Movie Details
- Director
- Desmond Nakano
- Release Date
- 1995-12-01
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.0 / 10 (89)
Cast
- John Travolta
- Harry Belafonte
- Kelly Lynch
- Margaret Avery
- Tom Bower
- Andrew Lawrence
- Bumper Robinson
- Tom Wright
- Sheryl Lee Ralph
- Judith Drake
Common questions
- What is White Man's Burden about?
- A wrongfully persecuted factory worker kidnaps a powerful executive in an alternate America where racial privilege has been reversed.
- What is White Man's Burden like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of White Man's Burden as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is White Man's Burden violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in White Man's Burden as moderate.
- What did critics think of White Man's Burden?
- Critics broadly found the film earnest but emotionally restrained, ultimately mishandling its racial allegory despite committed lead performances.
- Which films are like White Man's Burden?
- Films with a similar feel include A Time to Kill, The Last Supper, and District 9.
- How long is White Man's Burden?
- White Man's Burden runs 89 minutes.
