LeonLouisRicci
So Much History in such a Little Movie is the Problem with this Well Intentioned "Mind Opener". It Wants so Badly to Inform that it Overloads its Message with Everything and Anything Concerning the Recent and Not So Recent History of Taiwan, Formerly Known as Formosa.The Filmmakers are Noticeably Nervous here as it Tries with its Low Budget and B-Movie Actors to Concoct a Watchable, Intriguing, Fact-Based Story in the Form of a Political Thriller. It Somewhat Succeeds but the End Result is a lot Less Successful and Fitting for the Very Serious Subject Matter.A Documentary would have been a Better way to get the History Lesson across to the Apathetic and Uninformed because this is just so much Low-Budget Muddle the Lesson is Buried Among the Rubble of a Condensed and Complicated Story Fit. The Taiwanese Situation During the Cold War was an Important History Concerning Communism, Police States, and China's Mainland Bullying of the Little Island and are all Historically Important Deserving a Much Clearer Exposition and Explanation. Something Like this is just too Easily Dismissed and Therefore an Almost Wasted Effort.
ahab625
The movie is full of misleading ideas and fictional information. With poor casts selection and bad acting.When did FBI agent authorize to handle cases oversea? And a Taiwanese waiter that speaks better English than Chinese? A museum director knows when the police raid takes place? Combining multiple events that happens in different years into one event.Adds none existing fiction to dramatize the story.The list goes on and on.It is a film made to promote certain political interest.It holds no more truth than most fictional movies.It was a pain to sit through the 1hr 45min.
Bobby W
1) Kaohsiung Incident (1979) - A demonstration led by Formosa Magazine staff resulted in the Martial Law arrest of dozens of dissidents.2) Lin Family Massacre (1980) - A grim murder of the 7 years old twin girls and their 70 years old grandma in their house then under 24-hour surveillance by the Garrison Command (Taiwan secret police). The day before her murder, the grandma had managed to reach out the international human right organizations about the brutal treatment received by her son in jail. Her son Lin Yi-Hsiung was among the Kaohsiung Incident dissidents arrested.3) The Murder of Chen Wen-Chen (1981) - Carnegie Mellon University professor Chen Wen-Chen, while visiting Taiwan, was interrogated by the Garrison Command agents two days in a roll. He never returned home. Dr. Chen had been an active Taiwan independence advocate.4) The Assassination of Henry Liu (1984) - California resident and Journalist Henry Liu was killed in his garage by mafia killers sent overseas by the Taiwan Garrison Command (the secret police head was later sentenced to life by Taiwan authority). Liu had just released a book about the reigning president Chiang Jing-Guo, son and successor of Chiang Kai-Shek.
SacTai-Am
I saw "Formosa Betrayed" opening weekend in Berkeley, CA on 2/28/2010. There were many Taiwanese-Americans in the audience, some 60-75ish. During one point in the film where the story of the 2-28 incident is told to the main character, you could hear sniffling, coughing and people blowing their noses. This was an emotional moment for me and for many in the audience. An entire generation of Taiwanese was murdered, brutalized, and silenced. Those who attempt to write this movie off as mere profit-motivated propaganda are no different than those who would deny that the Holocaust ever happened. Don't be fooled. This movie is important just as it is entertaining.If you enjoy political thrillers, you will love this film. The non-linear narrative is excellent, and the story telling superb. The use of actual historical photos of the descent of Chiang Kai-Shek's army on Taiwan, as well as photos of the brutality surrounding 2-28, and Nixon's meeting with Mao are powerfully chilling.James Van Der Beek's performance as FBI Agent will blow you away. In all honesty, Will Tiao's acting could have been better, but give him credit for the monumental task he accomplished in raising over $6 million USD in private investor funds to get this independent film made. It was obviously a labor of love, and this fact shines through in every moment of the final product, from the opening image of a satellite map of Taiwan to the the closing montage. For movie-goers who prefer to learn something intellectually challenging through a thought-provoking and entertaining film, please go see this movie.
AD
