The Iron Triangle (1989) User Reviews

Interesting Vietnam film based on the diary of an unknown Vietcong soldier

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 22 September 2009]

The film is developed during Vietnam war and being based on the diary of an unknown Viet Cong soldier . There in the ¨ Oh Chi Mi¨ rout called Iron Triangle, an U. S. officer (Beau Bridges) taken prisoner by the Vietcong forms a special relationship with one of his captors(Liem). The officer fights for his life behind enemy lines suffering several punishments as punches, lashes, kicks, among others.

The story filmed in Sri Lanka depicts the war chaos and primal bloodletting . This picture provides a thought-provoking look at a Viet Cong soldier who saved a captured American soldier whom he believed did not kill him when the American had the opportunity . The flick lends the spectator an opportunity to watch events from the other points of view . May not translate as well as to the small screen yet worth watching it for nothing more than spectacular final raid on the village where a commando along with helicopters attack people under a sensitive score (John DÁndrea : Baywatch) composed by synthesizer and spiritual chores . Its a blending of Chuck Norris' tortures from ¨Missing of action¨, the special relationship between opposite world's two men as ¨The Killing Fields¨ and breathtaking attacks over villages , including Napalm , from ¨Coppola's Apocalypse now¨ . Agreeable actors are mostly Oriental race . Special mention to Johnny Hallyday as a French mercenary, veteran of Indochina war , who combated in Dien Ben Phu (1954) where the French were defeated and nowadays working as s bodyguard of a propaganda-woman . And Haing Ngor (1940-96), a famous secondary since ¨Killing Fields¨. Ngor's own experiences echoed those of his character and usually played Vietnam roles ( Tortures of war , Heaven and Earth ,In love and war, Vietnam Texas , Eastern condor) until his violent death by an Asian band . Eric Weston's direction (To protect and serve ; Marvin and Tige ; Evilspeak) shows a generally surehand with a bit of melodrama at the end.

hidden gem

[kwolfe-bpi · 7/10 · 15 February 2014]

This was really a good movie, should have got more traction or promotion. Only Vietnam War movie I've ever seen that gives both a Vietnamese and an American point of view. I would have never seen it had I not been visiting a friend who insisted I had to watch it. I wish more people had seen it because I've never met anyone else who has, and Its very hard to find now that video stores have gone the way of the dinosaurs. If you ever get the chance to see this movie I promise it wont be a waste of two hours of your time. The acting was spot on, the special effects were great, no CGI, they used real explosives in this. Good luck finding it if you can because it seems nobody has ever heard of it. If the Vietnam War is your genre you have to see it.

Not a 'Timewaster'.

[guru-922-834174 · 7/10 · 14 January 2014]

This movie is not as bad as some reviewers portray. Lets not forget that the story is based on the diary of a VC soldier and thus not easy to turn into a logical script. It is a merit that the producer did not ruin it into a typical Hollywood style Bling-Bling tearjerker. The acting is o.k. likewise the soundtrack. The cinematography is above average. Contrary to a reviewer who found the combat scenes 'staged', I think they are very well done. Also do I not agree with the opinion that the ending is an anti-climax. Liking war stories, I find this film definitely not a 'timewaster'. If you have 90 minutes or so on your hands, watching this film will not bore you... I enjoyed it.

Viewing the Vietnam war from both sides

[jessewillis · 7/10 · 21 May 2001]

Beau Bridges, Haing S. Ngor and Liem Whatley perform admirably in this small Vietnam war film. Liem Whatley plays Ho a north Vietnamese soldier, a revolutionary seeking establish communist land reform. Beau Bridges is a straight arrow American officer who is captured by Ho. This is an interesting take on the Vietnamese war insofar as it spends some time with "Charles". Well done.

At last, more than one side!

[robertalexanderlindsey · 5/10 · 13 August 2013]

'The Iron Triangle' may not be the best or most realistic Vietnam movie, and it may not have the best acting, but it certainly has an edge over some other 'Nam films made in 1989, like 'The Siege of Firebase Gloria', or even 'Born on the Fourth of July', directed by Oliver Stone, the man who brought us the brilliant film 'Platoon' three years earlier, which kicked off the Vietnam craze that brought us the equally-as-powerful, ultra-realistic 'Hamburger Hill', and Stanley Kubrick's surrealistic 'Full Metal Jacket.'

'The Iron Triangle' is different than any of these films, because it not only gives us a perspective from the U.S. point of view, but also from Mr. Charles himself. Most Vietnam films portray Charlie as sort of a ghostly apparition, a specter lurking in the depths of the jungle, waiting to ambush the protagonist's platoon at any moment. The only times we ever really get to see Mr. Charlie in these films are a few fleeting glimpses of pith-helmeted ghosts dashing thru the bushes and vanishing into thin-air after unleashing a few AK-47 bursts or tossing a few grenades. 'The Iron Triangle' tells it's story through the perspective of these elusive warriors. The main VC character is Private Ho, a young soldier who refuses to kill a captured American soldier who, when given the opportunity, doesn't finish him off. Later on, after the last engagement in a VC-run village, which results in an American victory (as usual), the same American soldier runs into Ho again in the jungle, badly maimed. In the final moments of the film, the American returns the favor and saves Ho's life.

For the first time, audiences got to see our Communist enemies face to face on screen for the first time, felt his pain, felt his victories and defeats, and saw that his struggles were equal to ours. Even though it may not be the best Vietnam movie, 'The Iron Triangle' is by far the most equal-minded, and is a must-see for anyone who wants to see Vietnam equally from two perspectives.

A good idea made into an OK movie

[caspian1978 · 2 October 2004]

It's hard to review a movie by saying it was OK, but The Iron Triangle was nothing more than OK. The (true) story of the event during the Vietnam War was great. The cast had more strong points than weak and much of the special effects were decent. Still, the movie is far from being a great movie like other Vietnam war movies such as Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, and the Deer Hunter. More like the straight to video "dud" Hamburger Hill, the Iron Triangle failed to be a great movie because lack of funding (budget). With a bigger budget, I think the Iron Triangle would have been a huge hit. With more money to improve the production value and to have more of a shooting schedule, the movie could have been a better story. I did not care for having many of the "Vietnam" soldiers speaking better English than many of the American soldiers in the movie. I would have made all, if not most of the Vietnam soldiers talking in their native tongue if not in broken English. This would have made the movie more dramatic and realistic.

So so...

[beales5 · 3/10 · 20 May 2011]

So so movie if you're desperate for a war flick. Bridges does not even come close to convincing as an actual Vietnam era Army officer. Mildly entertaining, but far from realistic. Fair photography, but definitely not worth buying...even for $5 at Wal Mart. The action is thoroughly scripted without any realism. The Vietnamese hero is played fairly well, but otherwise, this flick is not worth much. The end is anti-climactic and the whole affair is not worth the price of admission...even if it's free. I hate to say it, but I'm adding this line just to make sure I make the 10 line minimum for this site. Folks should know this movie is barely passable. I give it 3 stars, but it is probably closer to 2 stars for most folks.

Silly and boring

[richkiel · 1/10 · 27 August 2021]

An immature and uninspired script combined with poor direction. It leaves you without any emotion. The characters are bland and dull, and their relationships never develop in any meaningful way. The action scenes are amazingly boring, without any suspense or impressive visuals. This is despite the fact they had a solid budget and lots of extras on the set. The dialogue is also terrible. There is no nuance or subtext in any of it. It is reminiscent of the dialogues one finds in Jackie Chan movies. To make things worse, dubbing is terrible, and also on the level of said type of movies. What could have been a tale of unlikely friendship turned into a series of meaningless scenes that perhaps tell a story on paper, but generate no emotion in the audience and no genuine involvement. I can imagine a film class using this film and contrasting it with 'Platoon', to show how 'Iron Triangle' failed at everything 'Platoon' did right. Untalented screen writers and directors really shouldn't be allowed to waste time and money like this, there are more than enough aspiring filmmakers who have both the talent and a desire to create. This film looks as if everyone involved in it was bored to death.

An Excellent Anti-War Movie, Which Does Not Insult My Intelligence Like Other Movies About Vietnam

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 20 April 2004]

In Vietnam, after a battle in the jungle, Captain Keene (Beau Bridges) is captured by Ho (Liem Whatley), an educated Vietnamese commanded by Colonel Tuong (Haing S. Ngor). Although recently losing his father, a teacher killed by the Americans, Ho does not have the feeling of vengeance in his heart and treats the prisoner with dignity, inclusive saving his life. In the end, there is a retribution from Keene to the attitude of Ho. I have never heard anything about this movie. Based on the diary of an unknown Vietnamese soldier (Ho), this excellent movie is indeed a gem, which shows both side of the war with dignity and in a pacifist view. Americans and Vietnamese are presented as human beings, through the character of Captain Keene and Ho. Most of the narrative of Beau Bridges is in `off', when he describes each situation, including his feelings. Ho is a seventeen years old teenager fighting to protect his country against the invader, and Captain Keene is in the war because he is a soldier who follows orders. The dialogs in this movie are intelligent, specially between these two characters. Further, it shows the Vietnamese as persons, defending their invaded country, and not as animals, acephalous beings or numbers, like in most of the films related to the Vietnam war. It is great the way the story is disclosed, showing both sides basically at the same time. The cast and the direction are very sharp and it is amazing the lack of publicity about such a good story. I bought this unknown VHS from a rental for about US$ 1,00 (it was used). However, the lesson of life in the end of the story is priceless. Captain Keene develops himself as a man and learns that in front of his weapon, there was a human being. Before I forget, in the beginning of the story, Captain Keene is presented as a man who speaks Vietnamese language. Therefore, indeed, when the locals speak in `English', actually they would be speaking in their language. Captain Keene is able to understand them and also to maintain a conversation with Ho. Therefore, there is no problem the fact that the movie is spoken in English. It is common sense that Americans usually do not like and are not used to read subtitles, and I believe that was the reason why the story is not spoken in another language. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Triângulo de Ferro' (`Iron Triangle')

Worst 'Nam movie. Like a long and boring soap opera

[Coffee_in_the_Clink · 3/10 · 13 May 2020]

It's fitting that the in the last year of a decade that saw a huge contingent of Vietnam War films and TV series released that we would get the weakest of all of them. "The Iron Triangle" is a very melodramatic and below-par film that is far too concerned with the unsubstantiated claims of the story than it is about making a decent war flick. It's a boring and very stagey looking film, with far too many contrived and overwrought scenes of the Viet Cong (speaking in English) as director Eric Weston was too zealous and absorbed with showing the VC in a humane light. Not that I have any qualms about that, it's just not done particularly well here. It was filmed in Sri Lanka but I honestly thought that it was filmed somewhere in the States, because it looks terrible and not like the jungles of Vietnam at all. So that shows how poorly made it is. If the jungle scenes from the exploitative horror film "Combat Shock", which were filmed in a yard in Staten Island, look more the real thing. The film purports to be based on the diary of an unknown VC soldier during the war (Yes, that old card) and during a particularly gruelling campaign in an area known as the Iron Triangle, a US officer is captured and the rest of the story pits one young VC soldier in a battle with his sense of duty and loyalty as he tries to help the American.

I found very little to enjoy here. It had all the look of a dodgy soap opera, and there wasn't enough on-the-ground action that you would think a film like this should have. The parts with the ex-Legionnaire and the Vietnamese woman he was protecting were extremely distracting and stupid, and these led to scenes like something you would see in a low-budget espionage thriller. They were not suited for here and it further watered down any chance this had to be credited as a strong war film. The action is poor and the acting even worse. The actors were trying too hard and Weston can't seem to direct at all. Imagine a poor man's "Missing in Action", if you can, mixed in with the melodrama of certain episodes of the brilliant TV series "Tour of Duty" and you might get an idea of what "The Iron Triangle" is about. I feel uncomfortable even mentioning the brilliant and classic "Tour of Duty" in the same breath as this film, but for the undeniable soapy feel of certain parts of the show, "The Iron Triangle" ramps them up tenfold, and is annoying as hell.

An interesting take on the Vietnam War.

[luis-63949 · 9/10 · 3 July 2020]

This is perhaps the first Western film I've seen show us the perspective of someone fighting for the Viet Cong. Other films whether intentionally or by accident dehumanize the Vietnamese. This isn't the case here.

A very different and realistic Nam movie

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 17 February 2019]

What an unusual Vietnam war movie this is. The hero is a Viet cong. It's his POV. The bad guys are the South Vietnamese the French. The US soldiers are led by Beau Bridges and he is captured. He acts well.

The Viet cong speak with American accents.

Just watch this - it's hard to describe how different this is unless you watch it.

Best Vietnam movie out there!

[emgrote · 10/10 · 24 February 2017]

Hard to find movie, seems rare for all. Been 20 years since I've seen it, but remember some very intense scenes. Up there with full metal jacket and platoon, only better. Very informative on the north and south Vietnamese sides of the war. Cannot believe this film was not more popular, good luck finding it without the movie guru's at the old video store. I would love to watch it again. The best Vietnam movie there ever was, in my opinion. Narrative also very informative.

The quadrature of the triangle.

[dbdumonteil · 6 August 2002]

Although not that much original(see Boorman's "hell in the pacific"),this was an interesting subject,this meeting between an American soldier and a Vietnamese.But their dialog hardly exceeds ten minutes (all scenes put together that is):besides they are triteness itself.Besides,it's hard to swallow the fact that everybody speaks English,even the Vietnamese between them.The seventeen years old Ho speaks fluent English himself ,that's great comfort for his prisoner Beau Bridges.This good actor is totally wasted in this bomb.

The screenplay is completely incoherent,featuring characters who do not help at all:the propagandist woman (yes the land will go back to the people)and her French(!) bodyguard ,a legionnaire played by French pop star Johnny Hallyday-who quotes Renaissance King François Premier no less:" tout est perdu fors l'honneur"(all is lost except for honor)". Why did he land up here ? Simply because his ex-wife's husband,Tony Scotti is the producer of the movie.

In the end ,Bridges discovers that ,behind or in front of a gun,there's a man.(sic)

Offbeat, well-meaning Vietnam War revisionist view

[lor_ · 31 March 2023]

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the movie at a Times Square screening room.

"The Iron Triangle" does a switcheroo by presenting (sympathetically) the point-of-view of a 17-year-old Vietcong soldier during the war. Novelty grabs audience's attention, but weak scripting and execution mark this one for mild box office.

Eric Weston's film argues for an equal-time look at the conflict in 1969, with two good men on opposite sides singled out for attention and ultimate bonding in adversity. Beau Bridges narrates the tale as army captain who gets to know his enemy when young Ho (a persuasive performance by newcomer Liem Whatley) captures him and protects him against a fellow Vietcong meanie, Kohl (hissible James Ishida).

The reason for the kinship between Bridges and his black pajamas counterpart is rather flimsy, but the film develops some emotion in sentimental terms. At first disconcerting, the Vietcong speaking in unaccented English works to the film's advantage. Main trick here is that pic's political stance is mushy; there are bad apples on all sides with the two heroes individuals, and the Vietnamese nationalistic wish to boot out all outsiders (Chinese, French and American) endorsed.

Acting is fine, with Oscar-winner Haing S. Ngor as a communist captain playing it straight in a smaller role. Tech credits are good.