Alamo Bay

source: Alamo Bay

Trailer—Alamo Bay

Alamo Bay

Really glad I clicked on this from Amazon Prime. First time seeing it, and I was a movie watcher in 1985. Luis Malle is a genius with camera placement and telling a story visually. The script is fine, not a gangbuster. The story is told in atmosphere, setting, and great shots. The plot naturally develops a female hero, nothing fake or contrived. The acting is fantastic. Luis M. Shot Ed Harris' piercing blue eyes, every chance he could get. Ed H as Shane is 300% convincing as a red-neck vet,his character is conflicted, but in the end understandable. Is this film downgraded because there are no clear heroes? More people should watch and review this fine film. It is better than 95% of what is pumped out of Hollywood as "product".

I saw this movie several years ago and was quite intrigued bit it, and disturbed by it given the racist attacks depicted against the Vietnamese refugees who wanted to make an honest living in the Land of Opportunity and the Free. The movie was a bit slow moving at times, but still, a bold movie nonetheless. I'd be fascinated to see a criterion release of Alamo Bay, where the Vietnamese cast reflect upon their role in the movie, along with Ed Harris who pretty underwent a massive makeover in The Firm. He looks nothing like he did in Alamo Bay. I wonder what a reboot of Alamo Bay would look like? A special feature documentary would also be good, interviewing real life participants.

Notice the stereotypes this movie presents: Vietnamese as courteous, hardworking, church going honorable people. Vietnamese war vets: racist, womanizing drunks. This is one of many films that utterly demonizes Vietnam vets. Madigans character so admires the Vietnamese leader that she declares: "You have to be the last cowboy in Texas". If you watch most Vietnam war flicks vets are usually (take your pick or all of the below) criminals, drug users or dealers, perverts, rapists, psychologically unbalance, racists. Yet statistics show that VV's are no more prone to this than the rest of the general population. Do not watch this crap.

Blidness cannot exist when we acknowledge the existence of KKK, and this film is showing exactly this problem. I do not know whether this problem of KKK is solved yet, but I remember well the problems created by this racial organization during 60-70s, particularly against black people. In this film the problem is with highly efficient and hard-working fishermen from Vietnam, who came to US during the war in their country. Part of the local fishermen were simply against them and tried to prevent fishing by the Vietnamese, at the end this came to a confrontation between both parts. In fact the film does not give any sustainable solution at its end, the leader of the white opposing the Vietnamese (Ed Harris) is killed by his former girl friend (Amy Madigan). The French director Louis Malle goes straight away into the problem and confrontation without much preface in the plot of the film.

A French director telling the USA how screwed up their country is. It's always directors from outside who see more of the human damage on the USA citizens, like Wender's did in PARIS,TEXAS. But this film is uninvolving and not enough punch. Maybe I've been watching too many Oliver Stone movies. Only the brilliant acting saves it.

The movie is stilted and slow in today's terms but does give a fairly accurate historical representation of the struggle of the Vietnamese shrimpers versus the KKK in the early eighties. Morris Dees and the newly formed Southern Poverty Law Center came to Kemah and Seabrook to make sure the Klan did not become the ruling class in the Texas Bay Area. The actual story can be found at www.tolerance.org or the southern poverty law center site. Louis Malle (yes he was French) was a great director who was married to actress Candice Bergen. He died of cancer in the late nineties. The movie does show a fledgling actor, Ed Harris, who has gone on to make many successful movies. The script was written by the writer of "Silkwood" which was another docudrama. It is worth watching for the history alone. Shows the pain felt by the locals and the immigrants.

I really enjoy this movie. I am normally a Horror buff, but there is a great ambiance of the Texas Gulf created. Not to mention wonderful character development. The story is about a young Vietnamese man (Ho Nguyen) who comes to Texas after the war for work. He ends up hitching a ride and begins work shrimping on the Gulf Coast of Texas. He is taken in by the Shrimp business owner's daughter (Amy Madigan). Everything is going well until the pressures of the immigrants over fishing drives Shang (Ed Harris) to lead the Ku Klux Klan to drive out the Vietnamese. The drama continues in a very REAL display. You will be able to find a VHS copy on Amazon or Ebay. This movie SHOULD be released on DVD.