I went into this with an open mind after hearing it was a bad film, but alas, its reputation as a bad film is warranted. It's boring, episodic, and feels like an eternity watching it, even though it's just over 2 hours. You never really get to know any of the men, and strangely enough, the only sympathetic character is the Vietnamese commander of the prison camp, which is NOT supposed to happen considering this is a pro-America/pro-Vietnam War film. This film is supposed to garner sympathy for the POW's, yet you end up liking the kommadant of the camp instead LOL. There's a lot of overly macho acting throughout the film, and the guy who plays the Cuban is awful. Way over the top like he was doing an opera. A real soldier would not have behaved like this. The man who played the Vietnamese commander of the camp gives the best performance in the film. The others are mixed. They range from good to passable to amateurish, even though there are many well known actors in the film, like Michael Moriarity. The only real emotion you feel is at the end when the prisoners are sent home. There's a reporter that's a very thinly disguised Jane Fonda (aka Hanoi Jane), and it's pretty obvious and smacks of propaganda. The film is extremely disjointed, often covering a year's time with literally 30 seconds of screen time. The film felt long and felt rushed at the same time. It's a poorly made film on an important subject. There's an interview on the DVD with John McCain, who was a POW at the Hilton, even though his character is not in the film. That's more interesting than the actual movie. Don't bother.
Review of The Hanoi Hilton
