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Showing all 32 reviews...
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Hi!!! I thought this movie was GREAT!!! Go and see it now!!!! Brendan Fraser is also great in this movie (well in any movie)!!! He can really play his character!!!
10/10
26.7.2003 -
bball4life2206@ - age: 13-17
Incredible insight into present day events, well produced, directed and acted. A must see.
10/10
29.4.2003 -
althegreat77@ - age: 18-25
Don't listen to what people say. Go see it. Very good movie.
10/10
26.4.2003 -
k_vitoro@ - age: 26-35
Thought the movie was well played out, however I would have to watch it again to grasp what the details and underlying messages were.
7/10
22.4.2003 -
bee_legit@ - age: 18-25
This is the best movie that I have seen in a long time. The story is terrific and Michael Caine is magnificent in fact all the actors are good. I could see it again and again.
10/10
14.4.2003 -
dianna,palamarek@ - age: 36-49
Very enjoyable, great acting... beautiful scenery, great story. Michael Caine, as always, is excellent!
8/10
4.4.2003 -
clchsa@ - age: 26-35
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[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
For film-goers who are also book lovers, this movie is a must see. Chock with literary metaphors - note Brendan Frasers' numerous appearances in white, the youthful American Fraser v. The aged European Caine, for example. Even small snippets of dialogue fit into the big picture - for example Do Thi Hai Yen's comment in Vietnamese, to Fraser not to lead while dancing (the only time when she really expresses anything) - even when he's bad at it, he still tries to lead -in everything! While some viewers may find the lead actress' acting wooden, I suspect it's all part of the larger picture - both men don't really understand her, and only see the surface. She is the stock white man's fantasy of the submissive, cardboard Asian -which fits in well with the rest of the story. Excellent soundtrack, captivating cinematography, slow moving at parts, but ultimately very moving.
10/10
31.3.2003 -
milkinthefreezer@ - age: 18-25
This was a solid film with a great story. I liked everything about this film.
9/10
30.3.2003 -
fbaker77@ - age: 26-35
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[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
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 titled 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) I first became acquainted with Greene in Doc Smith's Grade 12 English class as I had to write a comparative essay of his short story The Destroyers and his novella The Third Man. I tremendously enjoyed his writing, and vowed to read more in the future; I even went on to buy a book of his short stories, but alas, here I am thirteen years later and no further on the effort. However, fortunately watching a movie takes much less of a commitment and so it has come that I have experienced once more Greene's work -- and I have found new inspiration to add his writings back into my lethargic reading rotation. 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 Encino Man Brendan Fraser. Fraser's character quickly becomes enamored 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. 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. [...]
8/10
28.3.2003 -
don_hitchen@ - age: 26-35
Michael Caine is in his eleme in this Graham Greene adaption. If one has lived as an expatriate, one would appreciate the story line. More surprises in this film but that wasn't expected. A totally engaging film with well cast actors.
7/10
18.3.2003 -
sjstern@ - age: 50+
This is a dreadful movie. The plot is thin, the characters aren't well developed and the acting is poor. Don't waste your money.
2/10
17.3.2003 -
michelle,van@ - age: 26-35
I love this movie.
10/10
17.3.2003 -
nguyenluongus@ - age: 18-25
This is a beautifully executed film that blends many universal themes together. It is love and desperation that drive Michael Caine's character. It's a truly wonderful performance - finely controlled and filled with subtle nuances that give it so much depth. I hope the Oscar nod for Best Actor goes to Caine. Brendan Fraser is also excellent in his role as the seemingly wide-eyed American. His best moment is in the pivotal scene with Caine, when he reveals that all is not as it seems. The only weak character for me is the love interest, Phuong. Many times, I was left wondering what she is really thinking. This is no fault of the actress. I assume the combination of the script and director made that deliberate choice, but it's not one I agree with. But overall, it's a film worth seeing - an engaging story, set in a tumultuous period of history.
8/10
16.3.2003 -
shirlscorner@ - age: 26-35
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Recently saw this movie... It sucks... I would give it a 3/10... I didn't think Micheal Caine was all that great... In fact, I didn't like him at all... Given the right script I think he could do a good job, but this was not the script for him... Brendan Fraser, on the other hand, was quite impressive -- I didn't expect a good performance from him, but I got it anyway... I think there is supposed to be a story somewhere in this 'movie, ' but I could find it... I also think there is supposed to be a climax at the end... Didn't see that come either... Like a roller coaster that doesn't do much of either, roll or coast... Like a mild sedative... Soporific! I guess I would have to give this film two eyes closed...
3/10
15.3.2003 -
villarroel_antonio@ - age: 26-35
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
Well directed and well acted... but something was still missing. The film seemed to have an identity crisis, not content to sit within one specific genre, but not successfully being multifaceted either. The metaphor of the love triangle as microcosm of the impending vietnam conflict (saving the girl and saving the country being the same thing for Pyle) wasn't very well developed. The car bombing scene, however, was one the most intense and well directed scenes of that nature that I've ever seen. It's still worth seeing, especially considering its political commentary and the current US related hostilities, but it is far from perfect,.
6/10
13.3.2003 -
bloodymyvacantheart@ - age: 18-25
Excellent! Well done. I'm glad it finally got released. It's not anti-American, but it sure makes you think about the origins of the Vietnam War.
10/10
13.3.2003 -
hynes@ - age: 50+
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
Great movie, but depressing and a little unsatisfying because I can't help but feel like we were cheated in terms of the emotional wrapup after the climax. I expected there to be more grieving, more remorse, but everyone just went about with life as usual. I mean, pyle's methods may not have been moral but he didn't deserve to die, and I feel like I'm the only one who thought his death was tragic.
9/10
11.3.2003 -
crystallight_99@ - age: 18-25
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They should have called it the BOOOOOORRRRRRING American.
2/10
10.3.2003 -
guy_hammond@ - age: 36-49
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A good film that offers something for everyone, which may be its greatest weakness. The film delivers political intrigue, war, a love triangle, action, and even a little humor but it all comes in such small packages that it may leave you a little unsatisfied. Performances are good but the dramatic tension did not build to a level that one might expect from a story set in this significant period of Vietnamese history. Overall a relatively slight film, but not one that should be avoided as you should be at least mildly entertained if not more so. And it may offer you food for thought regarding American hegemony in other parts of the world.
7/10
8.3.2003 -
rpmail@ - age: 36-49
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