MOVIE - THE QUIET AMERICAN - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$$ (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Michael Caine (Thomas Fowler), Brendan Fraser (Alden Pyle),
Do Hai Yen, Rade Sherbedgia, Tzi Ma, Robert Stanton, Holmes Osborne, Quang Hai & Ferdinand Hoang.
DIRECTOR - Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger, The Saint, Patriot
Games & Rabbit-Proof Fence)
Based upon Graham Greene's novel of the same title which was previously adapted in a 1958 film starring Audie Murphy.
The Quiet American is set in Vietnam in 1952 and revolves around a competition, for the affection of a young Vietnamese girl, between an older British journalist and a young American CIA operative.
The love triangle is absurd unless you recognize that it's actually an analogy, layered upon analogies, for the real world decline of the influence of the British Empire and the rise of the United States as a global superpower.
This is one of Caine's (Last Orders, The Man Who Would Be King) greatest roles. His performance, like the story itself, is full of nuances that must be seen to be fully appreciated. Brendan Fraser, in what can only be described as brilliant casting, uses his aw-shuck charms to convincingly convey the idealistic but social awkwardness of the new kid on the block.
The Quiet American is as relevant today as when it was first published.
The Quiet American is not only a well-crafted film but an important reminder that those who fail to examine their true motivations and heed history's lessons may damn us all.
Running time: 118 minutes
FULL REVIEW OF THE QUIET AMERICAN & LINKS TO ALTERNATIVE REVIEWS
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