For a while after seeing this I didn't really know what to think - I'd read a lot of pre-release hype on this one, and was almost expecting an Asian-American DO THE RIGHT THING (which would be way overdue), and this definitely isn't it - instead it almost seems to update some of the Blaxploitation clichés of the 70s, with an (East) Asian cast.
Such films portrayed Black Americans as one-dimensional walking stereotypes - nothing but violence and attitude - and had little to do with the actual diversity of African-American culture. BLT - in trying to overturn one set of Asian American stereotypes by inventing some new ones - is of questionable value (image-wise) at best.
But it is also very, very stylish, and I was never bored. The actors are a bit old to be high school kids, but they do manage to bring life to the characters, and visually the film is a treat, with vivid cinematography that is never cluttered, and an MTV-influenced style that still manages some originality. Subject-wise, it's more of a morbid parable than anything else, so I wasn't put off by the occasional lack of realism. The director is to be commended for his determination and independence here - like DO THE RIGHT THING, BLT attempts to harness unspoken rage in a way that might make some valid social statement, and even though it's not flawless, it will be very interesting to see what he does next.
Such films portrayed Black Americans as one-dimensional walking stereotypes - nothing but violence and attitude - and had little to do with the actual diversity of African-American culture. BLT - in trying to overturn one set of Asian American stereotypes by inventing some new ones - is of questionable value (image-wise) at best.
But it is also very, very stylish, and I was never bored. The actors are a bit old to be high school kids, but they do manage to bring life to the characters, and visually the film is a treat, with vivid cinematography that is never cluttered, and an MTV-influenced style that still manages some originality. Subject-wise, it's more of a morbid parable than anything else, so I wasn't put off by the occasional lack of realism. The director is to be commended for his determination and independence here - like DO THE RIGHT THING, BLT attempts to harness unspoken rage in a way that might make some valid social statement, and even though it's not flawless, it will be very interesting to see what he does next.