Asian American Film of the Week - The Trident

After David Carradine's death, there was the mourning by family, friends, and fans. There was also a reminder from some in the API community that Carradine's legacy is tarnished. That his involvement in the series Kung Fu (and his last feature role in Crank 2 as an Asian mobster) renders him persona non grata for Asians in the US.

Although I agree that his image will forever be linked to issues of racially-biased casting in Hollywood, there is something to be said about this durable actor.

I want to remember him in a positive way, I would not want people dancing on my grave especially when I am an actor who needs to make money, and the only I can do it is to take a role that deservedly belonged to an Asian (a great one in Bruce Lee). Carradine is not exactly to blame for this.

So, that being said, "The Trident" is David Carradine's last short film, and I am proud to recommend this as the Asian-American film of the week. Carradine dons the "wise" hat to help a young South Asian man (Aalok Mehta; American Chai, Redline) find his inner spirit and channel the past to rescue his wife in the present. The film has healthy nuggets of hindi wisdom in this great little short. Anurag Mehta does a fine job at the helm and gives the audience a great deal of respect for spirituality and is idealistic when it comes to the way we handle conflicts today.

If you want to check out this short (and I know you will!) the link is here on hulu.com: Tridentfilm.

Thanks again for reading and see ya next week...