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. Inspired by actual events.
Reviews
Waste of time
Waste of Money.
Just what I expected
Film Perfection
FORMOSA BETRAYED is better as teaching material than it is a thriller. It's an unashamedly political movie that aims to explore the complex and often murky goings-on in early 1980s Taiwan, where government-sponsored assassinations were more often than not the norm and where the secret war with China continued unabated.Onto this admittedly intriguing backdrop has been stapled a somewhat straightforward thriller, with American import James Van Der Beek investigating a murder. A whole host of Asian-American actors play in support to either help or hinder him along, and there are some admittedly exciting and/or shocking moments thrown in along the way. However, this is very much a B-picture in feel in terms of style and execution, although that unusual backdrop makes it worth watching.
This film was on Sky Movies.For those that don't know, Formosa has been called Taiwan since 1945 and under Chinese jurisdiction, though attempts at independence has been a stormy affair. This is relevant as it's key to the film, as a distinguished Taiwanese professor is murdered in the U.S.Stated to be based on actual events, and set in the 1980's, an FBI agent - a quite undistinguished James Van Der Beek, is sent to 'observe and report', which of course he doesn't just do. When his key inside mole is murdered in front of him, a whole can of worms is uncovered, revealing conspiracies from deep within both the U.S and Taiwanese governments.The movie starts off smartly but soon resorts to bog-standard TV episode crime thriller standards, albeit with a few interesting and unusual locations thrown in. The cast are almost all average and bland. As the film tapered off, one expected some kind of finale to give a memorable boost, but it just blacked out to message boards, telling us that Taiwan is still attempting to break free from China and at this particular moment, the U.S do not acknowledge Taiwan as an independent state.For those that are concerned by this, then it will obviously be of significance, but I for one, wasn't, really. The story within may hold one's interest and if so, you may enjoy this, but otherwise, I'd have to say don't bother.
The movie is full of misleading ideas and fictional information. With poor casts selection and bad acting.When did FBI agent authorize to handle cases oversea? And a Taiwanese waiter that speaks better English than Chinese? A museum director knows when the police raid takes place? Combining multiple events that happens in different years into one event.Adds none existing fiction to dramatize the story.The list goes on and on.It is a film made to promote certain political interest.It holds no more truth than most fictional movies.It was a pain to sit through the 1hr 45min.
1) Kaohsiung Incident (1979) - A demonstration led by Formosa Magazine staff resulted in the Martial Law arrest of dozens of dissidents.2) Lin Family Massacre (1980) - A grim murder of the 7 years old twin girls and their 70 years old grandma in their house then under 24-hour surveillance by the Garrison Command (Taiwan secret police). The day before her murder, the grandma had managed to reach out the international human right organizations about the brutal treatment received by her son in jail. Her son Lin Yi-Hsiung was among the Kaohsiung Incident dissidents arrested.3) The Murder of Chen Wen-Chen (1981) - Carnegie Mellon University professor Chen Wen-Chen, while visiting Taiwan, was interrogated by the Garrison Command agents two days in a roll. He never returned home. Dr. Chen had been an active Taiwan independence advocate.4) The Assassination of Henry Liu (1984) - California resident and Journalist Henry Liu was killed in his garage by mafia killers sent overseas by the Taiwan Garrison Command (the secret police head was later sentenced to life by Taiwan authority). Liu had just released a book about the reigning president Chiang Jing-Guo, son and successor of Chiang Kai-Shek.
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