FINALLY! After weeks and weeks of tying to score a
preview of this film, I finally landed one. And, the
wait was certainly worth it. Here is yet another
addition to my list of the year's favorites, forcing
earlier films that I loved so much, like "Signs"
and "Changing
Lanes" out of contention at all.
This film is based on the work by the great Graham Greene
and is as much a masterpiece as "The Bridge on the
River Kwai" or "Apocalypse Now". That
very bold statement out there, I shall descend into the
chunk of my review.
Michael Caine (in his best performance to date) stars as
Thomas Fowler, a British reporter living in Vietnam in the
early 1950's. When he is summoned back home, he is
reluctant to leave because he has fallen in love with a
local woman named Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen), and has grown to
love the people of Vietnam. He wants to marry her, but
cannot, because his wife will not grant him a divorce.
One day, however, their lives change when a young American
named Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser in his best performance to
date) arrives. He claims to be in Vietnam on a medical
mission, and quickly falls in love with Phuong. Thus,
Pyle and Fowler begin their war for the heart of the young
woman. Eventually, Fowler discovers that Pyle may not
be who he claims. Then comes the murder plot, but I
won't get any further into that right now. Now, the
basics, in a very straight forward fashion...
WHAT I LIKED: Just about everything. Michael
Caine and Brendan Fraser are brilliant. It was
exceptionally nice to see Fraser stray from his usual goofy
characters and go back to the same kind of thing that made
his performance in "Gods and Monsters" so exhilarating.
He has the talent, he just has to use it more often.
The cinematography was excellent. This is as
beautifully filmed as "The Bridge on the River Kwai"
and "A Passage to India", and made me wonder if
David Lean had not directed this, instead of Phillip Noyce.
I also thought the triangle between Caine, Fraser, and Yen,
was well devloped and filled with incredible tension and
romance. Michael Caine may be getting older, but he is
only getting better.
WHAT I DISLIKED: First off, let me say that, though I
had some problems with the film, they were not nearly enough
to make me give this anything less than a four pop review.
SPOILER: In the first 10 minutes, we see Pyle dead.
We know who won the fight for Phuong's heart. What we
don't know is what role Fowler played in the death of the
'quiet American'. I thought this was maybe not the
best thing to do. It took away a considerable amount
of suspense, but there was still plenty to go around.
I also thought that Phuong's character was poorly developed.
For a majority of the film, she just sits there and looks
pretty. She is given little with which to excell and I
think this might have been one of the best films of the
decade if her character had been more involved.
"The Quiet American" will not top my end of the
year list, as "About Schmidt" was too miraculous,
but it will certainly make the Top 10. I can say that
because the year is almost over. Michael Caine will
most certainly be nominated for an Oscar (he has already
been nominated for a Golden Globe) and could potentially win
it. He has received many accolades for his performance
and they are all well deserved. Director Phillip Noyce
has crafted a brilliant film in the tradition of the great
David Lean. He also deserves recognition in the field
of directing. I encourage everyone out there who has
the slightest passion about cinema to try and find this film
in a nearby theatre. It is worth the financial burden,
I assure you. Tell them I sent you. You won't
get a discount, but it will make me feel better.
