52
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- While it is captivating stylistically, and the primer on the China/Taiwan relationship is great fodder for political geeks, even in its deepest moments of intrigue and pathos this is a cable TV movie at best.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyA decent political thriller set in Taiwan with the requisite Western-market-friendly lead and a determinedly pro-independence message embedded in a formulaic but diverting tale of intrigue and oppression.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenAt its plainspoken best, the U.S.-and Thailand-shot film is an eye-opening history lesson more than an atmospheric thriller. It's nonetheless chilling as it exposes the machinations between countries with no official relationship.
- 70Wall Street JournalWall Street JournalDespite the righteous indignation that is so clearly fueling the film--much of its $8 million budget was raised from off-island Taiwanese--the movie is a sturdy entry in the paranoid-thriller genre, and raises some interesting issues about our relationship with the country we used to call China.
- 63Boston GlobeJanice PageBoston GlobeJanice PageAs a political thriller, Formosa Betrayed has enough suspense and intrigue to pull viewers along willingly. It doesn’t try too hard, which is refreshing.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMr. Van Der Beek, manlier than in his “Dawson Creek” days, gives an able performance in a movie whose Asian actors tend to overplay the intrigue in an exaggerated 1940s style, exchanging sinister meaningful looks and, in general, hamming it up.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceNeither the investigation nor the suspense (hobbled by editorializing) have much impact; the movie, necessarily shot in Thailand, plays like secret-history tourism, complete with archival footage haunting the screen.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoSan Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoThis is an unabashedly pro-democracy message movie. Judged strictly as drama, it's pretty routine.
- A mostly pedestrian political thriller whose basis in true events adds little to the film's excitement or entertainment value.