The Quiet American

Released 2002
Stars Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen
Directed by Phillip Noyce

Saigon, 1952, a beautiful, exotic, and mysterious city caught in the grips of the Vietnamese war of liberation from the French colonial powers. New arrival Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser), an idealistic American aid worker, befriends London Times correspondent Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine). When Fowler introduces Pyle to his beautiful young Vietnamese mistress Phuong (Hai Yen) the three become swept up in a tempestuous love triangle that leads to a series of startling revelations and finally - murder. Nothing, and no one, is as it seems, in this adaptation of Graham Greene's classic and prophetic story of love, betrayal, murder and the origin of the American war in Southeast Asia.

This is a pretty interesting movie, but it concentrates on the love triangle which was the least interesting aspect for me. The young, exotic Phuong was Fowler's reason for living, but she meant nothing to Pyle. I know it was an allegory about a young Western nation (the U. S.) battling an older European country (France) for an Asian beauty, but the politics and the two male leads were far more interesting than the forced love triangle. Another unfortunate aspect is how the movie opens with the crime and goes back to the beginning of the story. This is so common today, and I wish directors would stop using this device. It robs the narrative of its dramatic tension. C'mon, guys. Just say no! --Bill Alward, August 19, 2003