A conversation with Spudboy and Cellar had me renting Rosewood,
the John Singleton work about the Florida town whose white
community razed its more prosperous black community to the ground
back in the early 20s. I'd glanced at it when it came out on
cable, but hadn't watched it with any attention.
This sort of movie, was more appropriately made thirty or
forty years ago. But timing and opportunity weren't in alignment
for portrayals of outrages against the black community--we've had
to wait a long time for these tales to be told. As a result,
Rosewood seems somewhat outdated--the black victims are all
incredibly noble, the whites at best conflicted and at worst the
epitome of evil.
Still, it's not a bad story, certainly worth telling, and
Singleton introduces some nice twists. The hero (Ving Rhames) is
a black war veteran and outsider who doesn't take any shit from
anyone, a switch from the gentle preacher sorts who usually
people these sorts of movies with lessons of tolerance and
restraint. Don Cheadle adds to his great supporting turns playing
the rich black man in town who is willing to fight for his
property.
I'm very tired of the de rigeur Good White Folks Help Out
aspect of these movies--heaven knows, you can't have us whites
feeling too bad about ourselves. But the two major white roles (Jon
Voigt and Michael Rooker) are written as men who are terrified
and cowardly, aware of the horror but too afraid to risk
themselves to stop it. In the end, I find their final acts more
noteworthy than the usually tedious Noble White Man who
fearlessly fights against the mob violence without regard for his
own safety or property. I thought the movie did a nice job in
demonstrating how easy it is for good intentions to be
overwhelmed by legitimate fear and self-interest.
Worth a look. Don't expect to take any lessons from it or feel
particularly good about anything when it's over.
