Nathan Rabin over at The Dissolve is just on fire with his “Forgotbusters” column, an examination of high grossing films that now look dated culturally. This review of the movie adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Rising Sun is especially biting. For instance:
In a sequence that plays unmistakably like a clueless middle-aged white person’s conception of what a culture clash between the Japanese and denizens of the ghetto might entail, [main protagonist] Smith has his inner-city friends menace the Asian thugs that are after them in a manner that would feel more appropriate in a wacky comedy than the stirring wake-up call Crichton intended.