YANKEE ZULU

YANKEE ZULU begins twenty years ago in a South African game preserve where two young boys, one white, Rhino, and one black, Zulu, are the best of friends. Twenty years later, Rhino is an adult bringing up the young black orphan Tienie. Teinie also happens to be Zulu’s daughter, through Zulu doesn’t know it. Rhino is now divorced from an American, Rowena, and she is suing him for all he’s got. Zulu is now a convict who is returning to South Africa to complete his sentence for theft. Rowena’s new man, Diehard, is assigned to pick up Zulu at the airport and deliver him to jail. After a brief struggle, Zulu breaks free and steals a winning lottery ticket from Diehard. On the run, Zulu bumps into Rhino, whom he has not seen since they were children, and together with Tienke, they set out to claim the prize with Diehard and Rowena hot on their trail.

This latest release from South Africa is interesting and revealing in its treatment of racial issues. Regrettably, the film’s scatological humor, corporal punishment gags and extreme ridicule of the political right obscures the honest attempt to bridge the gap between the races. Also, it has too much sexual innuendo, partial nudity and violence to be acceptable for teenagers. This is indeed a sad irony since teenagers would have enjoyed the adolescent humor of YANKEE ZULU the most.