96 Minutes (2011)
4/10
Stereotypes, stereotypes, stereotypes
2 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Just because a movie is based on a true story doesn't mean that it's true. I could base a horror movie about the moon blowing up on the true story of the Apollo astronauts.

Overall, the movie really isn't too bad. However, I'm just tired of the stereotypes. White male = arrogant, rich, privileged jerks. White and black women - either perfect or victims. Black male that commits a crime = misunderstood.

My first clue is when the leading lady has a phone call with her father, whereby he informs her that he's too busy to go to her college graduation. At this juncture, the conversation lets us know that the father has never visited her at college for the entire four years. This struck a cord with me, because like the father I work hard and travel all over the world. However, it is my ex- wife (yes a mother, can you believe it) who has never bothered to visit our son even once while he was at college. Furthermore, on the day of his graduation, she flew in for brunch and then left before the graduation ceremony was over. Meanwhile, I would visit every couple of months and deal with each year's move-in and move-out days. I'm tired of the white males being the bad guys - especially in Hollywood. This movie is no different, it just keeps pushing the same Hollywood stereotype.

We move on to the leading man. A black youth who is intelligent, about to graduate high school, and has a bright future. Of course, he later lines up the two women that he hijacks and threatens to shoot them in the backs of their heads - but hey, he's just in a bad situation and is also a victim.

On top of everything else, we have policemen (white and black) shaking down black youths just because of the color of their skin. We also have policemen questioning the black male (who rescues the women at the end) as if he was the criminal. As far as the first incident, it just don't happen anymore. In fact, it stopped happening an long time ago - so Hollywood "just get over it." The second incident shows the cops being A-holes to the black hero, which they pretty much would be anyway regardless if the guy was black or white. When it comes to being an a- hole, it's just what policemen are (see I have a few stereotypes of my own).

The bottom line is that there is good and bad and everyone knows the difference. I'm tired of hearing about circumstance and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you're bad and you're punished for it, then you're a criminal getting what you deserve. If you're good and punished for it, then you're a victim. Yes folks, it is just that black and white. When it comes to thugs there are no shades of grey.
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