WHITE HOUSE DOWN EXPLOITS OBAMAPHOBIA
Radical opponents of President Barack Obama wish that he would somehow be deposed. White House Down, directed by Roland Emmerich, fulfills that fantasy for a few minutes. But most of the time the action film focuses on the takeover of the White House, including hostages, and efforts of John Cale (played by muscle-bulging Channing Tatum) to save the president singlehandedly. Although dramatic music drowns out the dialog, and there is a lot of shooting and muscle display, two political themes are played out. First, Obama’s counterpart, President James Sawyer (played by Jamie Foxx), is portrayed as relatively passive rather than presidential, mumbling most of the time and speculating that he is a victim of the “military industrial” complex. The second theme is about who would take such dastardly measures to depose him. The pretext for the coup appears to be that the president has made some sort of deal with Iran, is withdrawing all American troops from the Middle East, and his political opponents are so upset that they seek to reverse course by installing a new president. Curiosity about who is behind the conspiracy and why provides the real film’s suspense. At the risk of providing a “spoiler,” we learn—more than halfway into the film—that the hired guns are white racists. But who hired them? Martin Walker (played by James Woods) appears to be in command, seeking a ton of cash, but economic gain seems an unlikely motive. What motivates him, we later learn, is the death of his son in some sort of military operation involving Iran, and we are to believe that he wants to depose the president in retaliation. But he has been set up by the real plotter. Again, the story is entirely implausible from start to finish. MH
FRUITVALE STATION OF 2009 = MARTIN & ZIMMERMAN OF 2012?
While America awaited the verdict in the Zimmerman trial over the death of Treyvon Martin, Fruitvale Station was released, providing an eerie parallel: A man with a badge is charged with the murder of a young black male. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station begins with a video taken by a BART passenger of a shooting in the Fruitvale Station subway waiting area. The film next favorably depicts a 22-year-old African American, Oscar Grant III (played by Michael B. Jordan), who is trying to go straight after time in San Quentin. Despite being fired at work for showing up late, he dumps a stash of weed into San Francisco Bay, evidently hoping that his deep love for his family will help him to make a comeback. But on New Years Eve 2008, a scuffle ensues in the subway, as a former white inmate from Q spots him and starts punching. White BART police then extract four black men from the car, not the white aggressor. When Oscar objects, he is thrust face down, handcuffed, shot, and dies at a nearby hospital. Credits at the end inform filmviewers that riots broke out in the San Francisco Bay Area, a trial was held of the police officer, and whether he is convicted of the homicide. Unlike the Martin case, many eyewitnesses were available to testify, but the implication remains that black males are always under suspicion by nonblacks. MH