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White Man's Burden

Play trailer Poster for White Man's Burden R 1995 1h 29m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
24% Tomatometer 33 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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Stephen Holden New York Times May 20, 2003
2/5
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. Go to Full Review Peter Travers Rolling Stone May 12, 2001
White Man's Burden spirals into tragedy but never into stirring drama. It stays stuck at the level of noble experiment. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jan 1, 2000
2/4
No one looking for an action movie is going to choose this one. Equally obviously, no one interested in a film about racial stereotyping in America wants to sit through chase scenes. Go to Full Review Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Jan 20, 2022
While flipping this racial dynamic is meant to demonstrate the ills of racism, White Man's Burden still centers whiteness. Go to Full Review Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Oct 9, 2005
3/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jun 19, 2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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thiago S @Thiagostone Apr 25, 2026 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Ed . @RT01276001 Aug 22, 2025 Five stars for truth in labeling. It was a burden for this white man to sit through this film, lightened ever so slightly by the King of Calypso. I would have given an additional half-star if he had worn a mostly unbuttoned tropical shirt. See more Curt D C @RT56372700 Feb 12, 2024 Travolta needed a bleepin' job, man! See more Steve D @RT35616104 Feb 18, 2023 Woefully misconceived mess of a film. See more Dec 25, 2020 A horror movie. Could never really happen. Falsefully attempting to represent what "white" did/does to "black" in reverse colors. Gave me nightmares! See more camille l @RT76374992 Oct 23, 2017 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. See more 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) 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
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