Hollywood Thriller movie Formosa Betrayed 2010
Cast And Crew
Starring: James Van Der Beek, John Heard, Leslie Hope, Tzi Ma
Director: Adam Kane
Writers: Will Tiao, Charlie Stratton
Starring: James Van Der Beek, John Heard, Leslie Hope, Tzi Ma
Studio: Screen Media Films
Genre: Thriller
Official Site: formosathemovie.com
Rating: for Some violent content.
Runtime:1 hour 41 minutes
Release Date: February 26th, 2010
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Formosa Betrayed Synopsis:In the early 1980s, an FBI Agent is assigned to investigate the murder of a respected professor. Through his investigation, he unearths a spider web of international secrets that has been thriving within college campuses across America for decades. His investigation takes him across the Pacific to the island nation of Taiwan, where with the help of the outspoken widow and an unlikely spy, he learns that the Professor's killing was not a random act, but a desperate move by a scandalous government intent on keeping its nefarious activities under wraps. Our detective soon finds himself on a collision course against the U.S. State Department, the Chinese Mafia, and the Nationalist Chinese Government - in a land where the truth is not what it seems and the only people he can trust, cannot be trusted at all.
Formosa Betrayed Summary:
Inspired by actual events, FORMOSA BETRAYED tells the story of FBI Agent Jake Kelly's (James Van Der Beek) investigation of the brutal murder of a Taiwanese-American professor on U.S. soil. With the help of his FBI partner Tom Braxton (John Heard) and a sharp Chicago police detective (Leslie Hope), Agent Kelly discovers that the murderers have fled to Taiwan.
Agent Kelly is sent overseas to assist the Taiwanese government’s search for the suspected murderers. Initially guided by an American diplomat (Wendy Crewson) and a Taiwanese official (Tzi Ma), Kelly soon realizes that not only is he an unwelcome guest in a foreign land, but that something even more treacherous is happening beneath the surface.
With the help of Ming (Will Tiao), a Taiwanese activist, Agent Kelly discovers the unsettling truth about the island once called Formosa, leading to dangerous and painful consequences. Agent Kelly finds himself on a collision course with the U.S. State Department, the Chinese Mafia, and ultimately the highest levels of the Republic of China government in Taiwan, where this FBI agent discovers how a complex web of politics, identity, and power affects the lives and destinies of the citizens in all three countries – including his own.
FORMOSA BETRAYED is directed and produced by Adam Kane along with producer and writer Will Tiao
Formosa Betrayed Reviews:Formosa Betrayed is a clever little exercise in perfactorated tension. It's gritty and explosive, and represents a true throwback to the crime dramas of the 70s. A time when story and structure actually mattered. It's the kind of project most big studios doesn't want to touch anymore. Which might account for Adam Kane's less than vibrant directorial aesthetic. This isn't a glossy film by any means. Its dark and damp, stamped with the aura of a mid-00s movie of the week. Charlie Stratton's script lifts it from this moldering pot of mediocrity, and it's the lead performance by James Van Der Beek that elevates it and sells that conceit home. While Formosa Betrayed teeters on the edge of being video store back shelf fodder, it has more than enough going for it to make it a worthwhile cinematic pursuit.
Van Der Beek is experiencing a career rebirth at the moment. For a while, he looked like another lost teen actor that wouldn't ever be able to get the kind of work a man of his prowess deserves. While Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, and Michelle Williams all found their post-Dawson's Creek niche, it took a couple of seconds for Van Der Beek to find his proper footing. Despite captivating performances in The Rules of Attraction and the hardly seen Final Draft, which proved the thespian to be above the stated caricature he once played on that old WB drama, he had trouble securing high profile projects. That should soon change with this particular film, as well as his upcoming appearance in the Anders Anderson drama Stolen Lives and his recurring role on the TV drama Mercy. Here, James stars as Jake Kelly, an FBI Agent in charge of investigating the murder of a Korean college professor on American soil. It's certainly a more grown-up character for the actor. And he proves himself quite capable of holding his own on screen.
Formosa Betrayed is based on a true story. It takes place in 1983, and revolves around the execution of an economics teacher accused of having ties to the mob. The first five minutes throw us into direct gunfire as Kelly tries to make his way through an airport luggage claim in Taipei with a local terrorist named Ming. The FBI agent is trying to have the man extradited to the U.S., but the Taiwanese government isn't feeling it. Faced with being arrest himself, Kelly is taken to a holding center, where he is questioned by Susan Kane (Wendy Crewson), the American liaison in charge of chauffeuring the agent around town. Director Adam Kane uses this set-up as his story's telling template. In a series of flashbacks, and flashbacks within flashbacks, we come to understand the journey Agent Kelly has been on, and what it's taken to get him here, to this foreign airport.
Van Der Beek plays the FBI agent as a patriot. An upstanding member of the community who only wants to do right by his country. The death of Dr. Henry Wen isn't an immediate concern to his ideologies as an investigator. Its just another body murdered, and he wants to capture the killer. This gung-ho attitude gets him sent to Taipei, where he is met with resistance from the local government. Conspiracies seem to be afoot. And Kelly, struggle as he might, is continuously kept in the dark. Some believe Wen is a mobster, and clues found near the body indicate this to be true. But it doesn't quite add up in Kelly's mind. Something fishy is going on here. Could it really be that the government killed Wen for speaking out against Taiwan during his course studies?
We're kept at Kelly's eye level for the first hour. The director has us as confused and angry as our hero. We are plunged into this cruel world perched on Van Der Beek's shoulder as he travels deeper and deeper into this suspected cover-up. Before long, Kelly is witnessing things he shouldn't be. Such as the killing of an important witness by the local police force, and gassing riot at a seemingly innocent protest. As the events escalate, Van Der Beek's search for the truth becomes even more urgent. The pacing is swift and methodical, and our lead's motive is clearly defined by the third act. As a political thriller, its narrative is concrete. Though its lower budget does hamper its appeal somewhat.
Midway through the film, we get a Taiwanese history lesson. It's obvious that this information is incongruent to the ongoing events of the mystery being presented to us. Everything is told to Kelly in textbook style. We're meant to soak in this information, too. Which means paying attention. There isn't a real pay-off in regards to what we learn, but it offers a better insight and understanding into the importance of Kelly's actions. And it's presented in a non-boring way. As we learn the implications involved with the murder of the professor, its obvious that we're watching something a little headier than your typical Friday Night thriller. This goes a lot deeper than that.
Before things come to their inevitable conclusion, James Kelly takes on the Taiwanese government headfirst. James Van Der Beek is quite convincing as an upholder of justice. He's likable, but he has an undeniable edge that transcends the material. Formosa Betrayed is one of the best thrillers of the year thus far, and while it might be a little hard to find in the theater, it's definitely worth seeking out. Whoop-doo!
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