Disclaimer: Minor plot reveals
When I went to see The Hours, the trailer for The Quiet American preceded its screening. At the conclusion of the trailer, the lady sitting in front of me leaned over to her friend and in reference to the film's title said "Isn't that an oxymoron?".
It may very well be an oxymoron, and in fact in the movie "quiet" is used as an adjective to describe just how atypical an American the person in question is, but it is also a novel written by famous British writer (and possibly spy) Graham Greene (not to be confused with the Canadian Native actor).
The movie stars Michael Caine as a British journalist, stationed in Vietnam in the early 50s as the colonial French government is losing its grip on control of the country to the communist nationals. Caine has found a comfortable existence in Vietnam, enjoying the pleasures of his opium and his mistress when it is disrupted by an American aid worker played by Brendan Fraser -- don't worry, this is the `Gods and Monsters' Brendan Fraser, not the `Encino Man' Brendan Fraser.
Fraser's character quickly becomes enamoured with Caine's mistress, and sets out to rescue her from her circumstance as only an American can do. Somehow Caine and Fraser maintain this mutual camaraderie and respect for one another as they struggle within their love triangle, not unlike two poker players battling for the same big pot.
As things begin to heat up within the love triangle, they also heat up within the political landscape of the country, and the personal struggles of the individual relationships become metaphors for the political struggles of the country. While The Quiet American is a piece of fiction, it is set against a very real historical backdrop. Graham Greene was very critical of US foreign policy, and this becomes evident as the film reveals the beginning of the CIA's involvement in Vietnam, which would serve as the pre-cursor to its involvement in the Vietnam War that would follow in the 60s.
Anyone who has seen Bowling for Columbine will recall the long list of questionable support by the CIA of various political factions through the years in its effort to covertly affect foreign policy through third parties. The effects of this practice is brought to life in The Quiet American, and it's hard not to remember that Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were also prior "associates" of the CIA in furthering these objectives.
But I digress ... even if you put the policital undertones of the film aside, The Quiet American stands up as a very good movie well worth seeing. Besides that it also has a Shar-pei in it. I gotta love any movie with a Shar-pei in it, even if it is out-of-place being owned by an American in Vietnam in the 1950s.
Bottom line: 8/10
When I went to see The Hours, the trailer for The Quiet American preceded its screening. At the conclusion of the trailer, the lady sitting in front of me leaned over to her friend and in reference to the film's title said "Isn't that an oxymoron?".
It may very well be an oxymoron, and in fact in the movie "quiet" is used as an adjective to describe just how atypical an American the person in question is, but it is also a novel written by famous British writer (and possibly spy) Graham Greene (not to be confused with the Canadian Native actor).
The movie stars Michael Caine as a British journalist, stationed in Vietnam in the early 50s as the colonial French government is losing its grip on control of the country to the communist nationals. Caine has found a comfortable existence in Vietnam, enjoying the pleasures of his opium and his mistress when it is disrupted by an American aid worker played by Brendan Fraser -- don't worry, this is the `Gods and Monsters' Brendan Fraser, not the `Encino Man' Brendan Fraser.
Fraser's character quickly becomes enamoured with Caine's mistress, and sets out to rescue her from her circumstance as only an American can do. Somehow Caine and Fraser maintain this mutual camaraderie and respect for one another as they struggle within their love triangle, not unlike two poker players battling for the same big pot.
As things begin to heat up within the love triangle, they also heat up within the political landscape of the country, and the personal struggles of the individual relationships become metaphors for the political struggles of the country. While The Quiet American is a piece of fiction, it is set against a very real historical backdrop. Graham Greene was very critical of US foreign policy, and this becomes evident as the film reveals the beginning of the CIA's involvement in Vietnam, which would serve as the pre-cursor to its involvement in the Vietnam War that would follow in the 60s.
Anyone who has seen Bowling for Columbine will recall the long list of questionable support by the CIA of various political factions through the years in its effort to covertly affect foreign policy through third parties. The effects of this practice is brought to life in The Quiet American, and it's hard not to remember that Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were also prior "associates" of the CIA in furthering these objectives.
But I digress ... even if you put the policital undertones of the film aside, The Quiet American stands up as a very good movie well worth seeing. Besides that it also has a Shar-pei in it. I gotta love any movie with a Shar-pei in it, even if it is out-of-place being owned by an American in Vietnam in the 1950s.
Bottom line: 8/10