They present almost as progressive white men "ironically" spouting racist jokes in an awkward and misguided attempt at signaling their own anti-racism. After all, both projects are directed by white men, with great focus placed on white characters. But like "The White Lotus," "Kate" attempts to critique whiteness while using people of color - specifically, the hordes of Asian men and supposed criminals she slaughters one after another - as props, void of humanity.īoth "Kate" and "The White Lotus" try their hand at subversive, anti-imperialist themes, while ultimately demonstrating the shortcomings of whiteness trying to critique itself. In the film's moment of truth, it offers scathing critique of western individualism, avarice and greed as corrosive and dangerous, like a disease. Despite its overt attempts at criticism of race and class, "The White Lotus" has also been slammed by critics of color who point out that its centering of rich white people and callous disposal of its few characters of color render the show complicit in the very forces it attempts to condemn. In a way, "Kate" follows HBO's summer hit "The White Lotus," Mike White's smart and enjoyable mystery drama that critiques the privilege and delusion of rich white guests at a luxurious Hawaiian resort. This ignores how America and Europe frankly have no shortage of their own problems - perhaps, in the U.S., starting with an overly funded military that's spent decades "fighting crime" in other countries, not unlike our onscreen "heroes." Intentionally or not, movies like "Kate" suggest there's something inherently criminal and dangerous about foreign, nonwhite countries, which thus need to import white superheroes or supervillains to come in, and either clean up or partake in their messes. Much of "Kate" feels like some vastly prolonged version of Hawkeye's senseless murder spree, presumably also set in the streets of Tokyo, during "Avengers: Endgame." Because Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is a well-loved, white superhero and family man, his violence is naturally excused by his sadness from the loss of his family. "Kate" also relies on the tired trope of white superheroes, or superspies and assassins, roaming foreign countries and killing unsympathetic "criminals" of color. "Kate" is happy to put Japanese fashions, pop music and other visual elements on display, but it never engages with the culture in any meaningful way, beyond killing the people responsible for said culture.
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But this criticism is misplaced and almost meaningless from a movie that uses Asian culture and people as a two-dimensional backdrop.
In this way, the movie attempts to acquit itself of its racist imagery with half-baked criticism of western ambition. The commentary here is a spot-on description of western imperialism and its violence and greed. To gorge on cultures they don't understand and then evacuate their bowels on the rest of the world." "It's their way to take and take until there's nothing left. "A smug westerner," Kijima says of Varrick, a white man attempting to take over Kijima's clan. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Through their revealing conversation, Kate learns that it's in fact her own boss Varrick (Woody Harrelson) who poisoned her. Earlier this year, one study found a 164% increase in reports of anti-Asian hate crimes in the first quarter of 2021, across 16 jurisdictions nationwide.Īs the film begins to wind down, Kate finds and confronts the man she believes to be responsible for her impending death: Kijima (Jun Kunimura), head of an elite Japanese clan whose brother is slain by Kate in the movie's opening minutes. It's a disturbing trend to witness, especially if you're a person of Asian descent. Although the movie was no doubt made before the events of last year, the alarming rise in anti-Asian violence can't be ignored while watching this. Not so naturally, "Kate" is set in Tokyo, where Kate, a white woman, spends most of the movie's two hours killing nearly any Asian person who crosses her path. Naturally, she intends to use those 24 hours to find and exact revenge upon her killer. 1 of the Top 10 most-watched on the streamer, is an explosion of nonstop action with a compelling premise: an assassin named Kate ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has been fatally poisoned and has just 24 hours to live. The Cedric Nicolas-Troyan-directed film, which is currently No. There's no escaping the imperialist mindset, even in fun action flicks like Netflix's "Kate." The following contains spoilers from Netflix's action film "Kate."
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