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White Man's Burden

Play trailer Poster for White Man's Burden R 1995 1h 29m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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24% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In an alternate universe, successful African-Americans live in gated communities, while impoverished Caucasians populate crime-ridden inner-city ghettos. When African-American mogul Thaddeus Thomas (Harry Belafonte) wrongly accuses Caucasian Louis Pinnock (John Travolta) of being a Peeping Tom, Pinnock loses his job and watches as his family falls apart. In a desperate attempt to repair his life, Pinnock takes Thomas hostage and demands reinstatement at the factory where he once worked.
White Man's Burden

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Despite earnest work from its leads, White Man's Burden's attempt at racial commentary is a well-intentioned misfire.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times Were it not for John Travolta's big-hearted portrayal of an unemployed white factory worker driven to commit a desperate act, the movie would be an emotionally frozen exercise in cautious high-mindedness. Rated: 2/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Peter Travers Rolling Stone White Man's Burden spirals into tragedy but never into stirring drama. It stays stuck at the level of noble experiment. May 12, 2001 Full Review Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) While flipping this racial dynamic is meant to demonstrate the ills of racism, White Man's Burden still centers whiteness. Jan 20, 2022 Full Review Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Rated: 3/5 Oct 9, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jun 19, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (97) audience reviews
Curt D C Travolta needed a bleepin' job, man! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/12/24 Full Review Steve D Woefully misconceived mess of a film. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member A horror movie. Could never really happen. Falsefully attempting to represent what "white" did/does to "black" in reverse colors. Gave me nightmares! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review camille l L'idée de White Man's Burden est plutôt bonne. Un nippo-américain qui réalise un film se déroulant dans une réalité alternative où les Afro-Américains et les Blancs sont inversés, dans un Los Angeles des années 90, pourquoi pas. Malheureusement, Desmond Nakano ne se sert que trop peu de son postulat de départ, en livrant une sombre histoire de rapt d'un type de la haute (Harry Belafonte, aussi nul acteur qu'il est bon musicien) par un homme qui n'a plus rien à perdre (John Travolta, bien trop concentré) qui tombe très vite dans l'ennui mortel et qui est bien trop différent des premières scènes, qui semblaient pourtant assez intéressantes. Finalement, White Man's Burden n'apporte rien d'original et se trouve être un immense gâchis, qui ne dure heureusement que 90 minutes. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Masterful concept drama despite Travolta's acting. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie has more meaning today in the trump-pence environment where the KKK is one of that administration's allies. White people may think they know what it is like to be oppressed, but we really don't know. This movie gives us a glimpse, though many apparently believe it didn't live up to its promise. Yet few things live up to their promise. I liked Travolta's and Belafonte's chemistry. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
White Man's Burden

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Cast & Crew

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Desmond Nakano

Director

John Travolta

Louis Pinnock

Harry Belafonte

Thaddeus Thomas

Kelly Lynch

Marsha Pinnock

Margaret Avery

Megan Thomas

Tom Bower

Stanley

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White Man's Burden

White Man's Burden (1995) White Man's Burden (1995) White Man's Burden (1995) White Man's Burden (1995) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In an alternate universe, successful African-Americans live in gated communities, while impoverished Caucasians populate crime-ridden inner-city ghettos. When African-American mogul Thaddeus Thomas (Harry Belafonte) wrongly accuses Caucasian Louis Pinnock (John Travolta) of being a Peeping Tom, Pinnock loses his job and watches as his family falls apart. In a desperate attempt to repair his life, Pinnock takes Thomas hostage and demands reinstatement at the factory where he once worked.
Director
Desmond Nakano
Producer
Lawrence Bender
Screenwriter
Desmond Nakano
Production Co
Home Box Office (HBO)
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.6M
Runtime
1h 29m
Sound Mix
Surround