A young Texan surgeon (Swayze) can't cope with failure, when failure means the death of a child. He's not cut out for surgery so in his grief he embarks on a flight of escape, landing in the slums of Calcutta. His travel planning is on par with his medical skills. Once in the City of Joy, as the slum neighborhood is called, he quickly assumes the mantle of Great White Hope, not just saving lives by doctoring, but also in smashing caste barriers, and battling local mobsters. Many Asian reviewers condemn "City of Joy" as typical American racist moralizing. But, duh, this is a typical Hollywood B-movie, and it follows one of the standard B-movie formulas: The Hero Saves the Day. And as B-movies go, this is not all that bad if the preachy moralizing, and poor script don't throw you off. The acting is good, especially the Indian actors. And many of the scenes are shot on location (or at least an Indian sound stage). "City of Joy" doesn't work if you're looking for depth of story or acting, but it does work if all you're looking for is just a couple hours entertainment.
Review of City of Joy
