This is a well-acted beautifully-filmed movie that surprised me in good it was. It's one of those "sleepers," meaning a good movie that gets little notice.
I found it interesting from the get-go with Michael Caine doing a superb job, one of the highlights of his distinguished career. Some have even called it his best performance. The same might be said of Brendan Fraser, too, someone who is more known for his lower-brow characters in far less-intelligent films. Those two and Do Thi Hai Yen complete the threesome who excel in the leads. The fact this film takes place in Vietnam and she is Vietnamese makes her all the more believable.
The colors in this film are very pretty, interiors and exteriors. The only negative I had was the obvious political bias in here: Left Wing, of course,(are there any Right Wing-slanted films?) off the novel from the very Liberal Graham Greene. The movie paints an unflattering picture of the early days of America's involvement in Vietnam with Fraser playing "The Ugly American."
Politics-aside, at least half the film is really a love story, as both male leads go after the same woman (Hai Yen). That has a strange ending, is all I will say. All the way through the movie builds in suspense and intrigue in both the politics and the romance. I've seen it twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. It's a well-made movie and one that could be enjoyed many times.
I found it interesting from the get-go with Michael Caine doing a superb job, one of the highlights of his distinguished career. Some have even called it his best performance. The same might be said of Brendan Fraser, too, someone who is more known for his lower-brow characters in far less-intelligent films. Those two and Do Thi Hai Yen complete the threesome who excel in the leads. The fact this film takes place in Vietnam and she is Vietnamese makes her all the more believable.
The colors in this film are very pretty, interiors and exteriors. The only negative I had was the obvious political bias in here: Left Wing, of course,(are there any Right Wing-slanted films?) off the novel from the very Liberal Graham Greene. The movie paints an unflattering picture of the early days of America's involvement in Vietnam with Fraser playing "The Ugly American."
Politics-aside, at least half the film is really a love story, as both male leads go after the same woman (Hai Yen). That has a strange ending, is all I will say. All the way through the movie builds in suspense and intrigue in both the politics and the romance. I've seen it twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. It's a well-made movie and one that could be enjoyed many times.