The Quiet American

CinemaSerf7/10

May 13, 2024

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Veteran journalist "Fowler" (Sir Michael Caine) is coming to the end of his time in Vietnam. Despite the fact that French colonial influence is waning and the Americans are desperate to stop the Communist insurgents, his employers just don't think he needs to be on-site to file his dwindling number of reports. He has a local interest in "Phuong" (Do The Hai Yen) though, and wants to stay put while he organises a divorce from his British wife. To keep his bosses at bay, he organises a trip up country to interview the powerful "General Thé" (Huang Hai) to get the lowdown on what is really happening in the countryside. Coincidentally, he also happens upon the newly arrived "Pyle" (Brendan Fraser) who has come to doctor the increasing number of wounded as this conflict erupts. It does seem a little odd that this man wants to follow "Fowler" on his perilous mission and soon a twist in the tail emerges that uncovers a complicated operation involving the CIA with nobody quite whom they appear to be. The story is told in continuous flashback, so we do know what happens at the end before we get there - though not the cause. What's interesting is trying to find out just how involved, complicit even, the Briton was in that denouement. Some of it was filmed on location which added to the authentic look of the film and there's quite a decent chemistry between an on-form Sir Michael and the usually pretty wooden Fraser as the two men see their friendship gradually disappear in a well paced rear view mirror of mistrust and duplicity.