An opening title card reveals the proposition of the movie:
Despite the walls of entry, illegal immigration thrives.
For $50.000, Chinese human smugglers known as snakeheads provide passage.
But today the strongest pull to come to America is not money.
"Snakehead" opens with a sobering statement about the scale of illegal immigration and how human traffickers known as Snakeheads charge $50,000 for passage to the U. S. The first words we hear are those of Sister Tse (Shuya Chang), who has just arrived in New York from Taiwan. In cold, emotionless voice-over Tse says, "I never believed in the American dream. All I knew was how to survive."
This is the story of a new recruit rising through the ranks of organized crime. The mainly Asian female cast gives the performance of a lifetime. The story develops deep in the underbelly of New York City's Chinatown. More highlights are coming from outstanding performances by Shuya Chang as the fearless newbie Sister Tse, Jade Wu as the matriarch of a family (Dai Mah) specializing in the nasty business of human smuggling and Sung Kang (Rambo). And nice the see Sung Kang acting outside his traditional roles in the Fast & Furious franchise. He kicks off this movie with his famous words: "Anybody else wants a home run? Now shut the BEEP up. Welcome to America"
Flashbacks and voice-over show how Sister Tse landed in jail and lost custody of infant daughter Rosie eight years ago. She has now come to find Rosie (Catherine Jiang), who was subsequently adopted by a New York couple.
The dialogues are powerful and the delivery is captivating. It's great to watch two powerful Asian female characters taking centre stage in an American crime story with strong roots in real events and characters. "Snakehead" is inspired by the life and crimes of Cheng Chui Ping, aka Sister Ping. Chung is equally impressive as a woman whose maternal and survival instincts permit her to crash through physical and moral barriers that most people could not even approach.
The deepening relationship between Dai Mah and her protégé is the film's rich and riveting emotional core. Less captivating is Tse's rivalry with Dai Mah's eldest son, Rambo (Sung Kang), a hothead whose instability and relationship with jealous girlfriend Shih (Devon Diep) have become a liability. Kang brings plenty of energy to the role, enough to turn Rambo into a notable villain.
This movie is driven by undaunted and powerful realism. A movie you have to see as it is as accurate as a documentary and still happening today.
