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400 Bullets

Name: 400 Bullets
Director: Tom Paton
Released: 2021
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

6.1/10

Good

2021

Not Rated

Director

Tom Paton

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

400 Bullets succeeds in disrupting traditional Western-centric military clichés. By centering the plot on a Gurkha soldier rather than a Western hero, the film shifts power dynamics and ability to act. The narrative challenges the 'Western Savior' motif and traditional military hierarchies, highlighting the capabilities of a non-Western protagonist. However, the film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ identities and disability representation, relying instead on subtextual readings.

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Category Breakdown

Does 400 Bullets have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film centers on intense male bonding in isolation, offering a subtextual reading beyond typical heterosexual relationships. It lacks explicit LGBTQ+ identities but explores themes through the interactions between the two main characters.

How does 400 Bullets portray gender?

Good

The narrative challenges traditional military hierarchies by giving high ability to act to Rana Rae, a Gurkha soldier. This shifts the focus away from the usual Western hero to highlight the capabilities of a non-Western protagonist.

How racially and ethnically diverse is 400 Bullets?

Excellent

By centering a non-Anglo-Saxon lead as the primary protagonist, the film subverts the 'Western Savior' motif. This shift disrupts conventional expectations in the action-war genre by emphasizing the role of a non-Western character.

How does 400 Bullets represent religion and culture?

Good

The story portrays Western military institutions as corrupt and predatory, creating a morally complex landscape where survival is key against systemic betrayal.

Does 400 Bullets include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no discernible evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Subverts the 'Western Savior' cliché by centering a Gurkha soldier as the primary protagonist.
Challenges traditional military hierarchies by granting high ability to act to a non-Western soldier.
Provides a morally complex critique of Western military institutions and systemic corruption.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit depiction of LGBTQ+ identities or queer intimacy.
Provides no discernible representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Relies on subtextual readings rather than overt diverse character identities.

Official Synopsis

One cold winter night in Afghanistan is about to get a whole lot worse for Rana Rae, a Gurkha soldier left to guard a British military outpost, when Captain Noah Brandt arrives looking for refuge from a group of rogue special ops and a cell of heavily armed Taliban. The two soldiers must fight for their lives as they attempt to call for backup before the rogue squad, led by the backstabbing Sergeant Bartlett, can hunt them down to retrieve a case of missile guidance chips that Noah intercepted. But Bartlett and his men do not count on Rana, whose ferocious Gurkha training makes him a force to be reckoned with.

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