As is becoming the norm, Hollywood and critics bashed a movie before it was even made and thus proceeded to bash it upon its release for reasons that don’t really have anything to do with it as movie. The Outsider was released in 2018 to Netflix, and from the get go it was never given a fair shake. To those with the loudest voices it was ‘white washing’, a ‘white savior’ story, and a clichéd gangster movie. It is none of those things and to anyone who would’ve bothered to actually pay any attention, it’s pretty obvious that it isn’t.
The Outsider for a reason, being that in Japan, anyone who is not a native to the land is known as a ‘gaijin’.
Yes the lead is a white male, and yes it takes place in Japan, but the leading character isn’t there to save anyone. If anything, it is the Yakuza who saves him. The movie is titled The Outsider for a reason, being that in Japan, anyone who is not a native to the land is known as a ‘gaijin’. Jared Leto plays this gaijin as Nick Lowell. He’s a Japanese prisoner who ends up working with the Yakuza after having befriended one whilst inside. Though he becomes close with the criminal organization, they never REALLY let him in hence the title of the movie. As Nick is not Japanese, he will always be considered an outsider to those who rule the Yakuza.
Looking for a movie with tons of dialogue? This isn’t the one. Should that be part of the reason it’s been so harshly dismissed? It could’ve been, although it hasn’t been. The acting is displayed through many a subtlety in this story, and most of the actors are Japanese so it stands to reason they’d speak Japanese. Jared Leto takes part in the silence as well, but his acting isn’t poor or without life. The decision of the filmmakers and the writers to tell a story with less words and more action isn’t a negative in this regard, it’s just what has not been popularly preferred. The Japanese talent in the movie perform well, and they show an obvious understanding of something that is a huge part of their culture. The cinematography is beautiful, the violent scenes are detailed, and the story though unrealistic is still well told and navigated by Leto and his co-stars in a satisfactory implementation. Any other criticisms would be others just looking for things to find wrong with it.
The Outsider is not a perfect movie, but it doesn’t deserve the reception it received before it was even released. It was hardly deserving of the thrashing it received afterwards either. It’s imperative that people see this movie without any preconceived notions as to what it will be, rather it would be wise to accept it for what it is not. It’s not a white savior movie, and with Leto being one of few white people in the entire movie, it certainly isn’t white washed. It’s just a story that most probably wouldn’t have thought to tell, though, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have.
