Rent The Power of One (1992)

Relatable for 90s American audiences - The Power of One review by AER

One decade's uplifting historical drama is anothers white saviour cringe-fest. But today's knowledge and enlightenment stands on the shoulders of gateway fare like this. Whilst The Power of One is very dated, it's heart was in the right place. This was a Hollywood attempt to show the evils of the Apartheid years (Still ongoing at the time this was filmed and released) and to make it relatable to US and European audiences. However, was the film ever good? Well, the idea to have a child narrator for the first 45 mins or so was an interesting choice and didn't wholly work. The plot itself felt cliched except for the window dressing of the South African crisis. fine acotrs show up in supporting roles like Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sir John Gielgud, Morgan Freeman, Marius Weyers, Winston Ntshona, Clive Russell, and Daniel Craig (In his first ever film role) but the harrowing events are rushed and uninvolving considering how horrific they are. I would be interested to see how this same story would look if it was made today. Good message and I really liked it when I saw it at the cinema in Sept 1992 (UK). I hadn't seen it since until today. :)

Very much a film of the early 90s. Dated, honorable, aspirational, yet cliched, rushed, and preachy.