FORMOSA BETRAYED (Adam Kane). 108 minutes. Opens Friday (April 2). For venues, trailers and times, see Listings. Rating: NNN
Formosa Betrayed is a political thriller based on real events in 1980s Taiwan. Naive FBI rookie Jake Kelly (James Van Der Beek), assigned to the murder of a Taiwanese whistle-blower in Chicago, follows the killers’ trails to Taiwan and finds he’s investigating more than one man’s death. It could be an international conspiracy. The Dawson’s Creek star delivers clichés with sincerity. (My favourite: “What about the truth! Doesn’t that matter any more?”)
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The script gives some sense of Taiwan’s brutal fight for democracy, but a bit more historical context would help. Will Tiao, a producer and mediocre supporting actor here, seems to have written the original story to shine a light on Taiwan’s struggle. Only 23 countries, not including Canada or the U.S., recognize the “Beautiful Island” as independent. This movie won’t do anything for tourism but might prompt audiences to learn more about what happened to those who tried to expose corruption and cruelty.
