Philip Noyce, who directed two of 2002’s best movies with
”
Rabbit-Proof Fence
”
and
”
The Quiet American,
”
is surely happy that his newest film finally is getting released
nationally.
Philip Noyce, who directed two of 2002’s best movies with “Rabbit-Proof Fence” and “The Quiet American,” is surely happy that his newest film finally is getting released nationally.
Shelved for almost a year after Sept. 11, Miramax, the distributor, was sensitive to its often negative portrayal of American involvement in Vietnam in the years leading up to the massive war of the 1960s and ’70s.
Released in New York and Los Angeles at the end of 2002, “The Quiet American” is now going into wide release, hoping to catch the eye of Academy Award voters with its ultimate message of peace and hope.
The amazing thing about the critical tone of “The Quiet American” is that it is nothing compared to the actual criticism of millions of United States citizens and people all over the world who helped bring about an end to the devastating Vietnam War in 1975.
Those who love great films are the winners because this beautiful movie is now gracing our cineplex screens. Adapted from Grahame Greene’s novel, the film provides a complex account of the French and American imperialism that pervaded Vietnam in the late 1940s and early 1950s, as seen through the eyes of a mild-mannered British journalist Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine).
The French in the 1950s were the major political influence in Vietnam, and the British were neutral in the matters. Wanting an objective take on the news events there, the BBC chooses Fowler, who soon gets caught up in a web of intrigue and romance. Unhappy with his marriage and wife back home, Fowler gets involved with gorgeous Vietnamese woman Phuong (Hai Yen) and falls in love with her.
Trouble arises when a young American aid worker named Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser, the “Quiet American” of the film’s title) introduces himself to Fowler. After meeting Fowler’s beautiful mistress, Pyle is taken by her and soon professes his love, to her confusion. He asks her to marry him, but, alas, she says no.
The movie takes a dramatic twist from the first act as we settle into the characters and their surroundings, thinking we know their feelings and motivations.
But the film in its second act surprises us at almost every turn, without ever losing sight of its structure. The romantic triangle twist leads to betrayals, secrets and thoughts of revenge.
The performances are universally good, with Caine standing out – this film could win him his third acting Oscar. Fraser is quietly effective in the film, and the wooden movements of his character suggest the awkward nature of his romantic longings. Hai Yen lends able support as the object of
affection, and does remarkably well, considering she learned English just before getting this part.
Michael Caine once again gives a clinic on the art of acting and performance. A champion of subtlety over dramatics, his character of Fowler is one of the most complex, damaged, fully complete characters ever to grace a film.
Needless to say, “The Quiet American” is the Vietnam film that has never been made, with the exception of perhaps France’s “Indochine,” which also explores the staggering cost of cultural imperialism and its effect on those who live in its wake.
THE QUIET AMERICAN. Directed by Philip Noyce. Written by Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan. With Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Hai Yen and Rade Serbedzija. Rated R (mature themes, violence and language), 105 minutes. Now playing at Bay Area theaters.
