Speed Racer

Miscellaneous General
1

I just saw Speed Racer when it came out on DVD - I now wish I had seen it in theatre. I read Jeffrey Tucker’s May review of the movie in which he was just lukewarm on the movie. I would take it a step further and recommend Speed Racer to be put on the LvMI “Films on Liberty and the State” list, here’s why.

I believe that the writers of this movie - Larry and Andy Wachowski - are great subversives in service of liberty. If you look at two of their last major movies, V for Vendetta and The Matrix, they are both anti-state, albeit The Matrix is more symbolic than V. I think Speed Racer is also anti-establishment, anti-state and anti-crony capitalism. I will grant there is a hint of populism throughout the movie, but not everything about populism is bad… in fact, free market economics is its own kind of populism.

I am astounded that such movies can even be produced, given the drippingly pro-empire stance of Hollywood. They’ve always been in bed with the imperialists. The Wachowski brothers have accomplished a great feat of subversion in the service of liberty to get these big budget, major audience films that attack the power, greed and corruption of the establishment produced and distributed.

I recommend Speed Racer (and The Matrix!) be added to the Films on Liberty and the State list at LvMI.

Any other votes in favor?

Clayton -

2

Great film, saw it in theaters at my brother’s recommendation.

I don’t think it belongs on the Liberty Film list though. The film’s perspective is pretty standard Japanese, which tends to vilify “the military” and conglomerates but idealize democratic government.

You’ll remember the heroes are the “corporate crimes” police.

After all what crime has been committed? The villains fixed the winner of a racing circuit that they themselves owned.

And the main villain was not a corporation, but a successful entrepreneur. An entrepreneur who is portrayed as tricking people into buying his product. And who’s guilty of the “unfair business practice” of buying his rival.

Maybe their hearts were in the right place but the economics were all wrong.

3

Too anti-business for my tastes. Of course, there’re enough crooks in the big business, especially with corporatism, but when every other movie villifies rich people it’s getting very old.