The Quiet American (2002)

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers (WGA):

Graham Greene (novel)
Christopher Hampton (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Romance | War

Tagline:

In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction.

Plot:

An older British reporter vies against a young American for the affections of a Vietnamese beauty.

Plot Keywords:

Saigon | Vietnam | Journalist | Murder | Love Triangle

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Michael Caine	...	Thomas Fowler
Brendan Fraser	...	Alden Pyle
Do Thi Hai Yen	...	Phuong
Rade Serbedzija	...	Inspector Vigot (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Tzi Ma	...	Hinh
Robert Stanton	...	Joe Tunney
Holmes Osborne	...	Bill Granger
Quang Hai	...	General Thé
Ferdinand Hoang	...	Mr. Muoi
Pham Thi Mai Hoa	...	Phuong's Sister
Mathias Mlekuz	...	French Captain
Kevin Tran	...	Watch Tower Soldier
Lap Phan	...	Watch Tower Soldier
Tim Bennett	...	American Photographer
Jeff Truman	...	Dancing American

Also Known As:

Der stille Amerikaner (Germany)
The Spy (Philippines: English title)
Un Américain bien tranquille (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for images of violence and some language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Germany | USA | UK | Australia | France

Language:

English | French | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:PG | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Da Nang, Vietnam

Company:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG

Trivia:

The film ends with newspaper stories written by Thomas Fowler about Vietnam from 1954 to 1966. However the book on which the film was based was published in 1955, so these are mostly events which happened after the book came out.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Fowler is reading his report of the massacre in The Times, the text says "120 kilometers". In the unlikely event that an English journalist in the 1950s would use kilometers instead of miles, he would have spelled it "kilometres". Also, the text reads that Phat Diem is "120 kilometers north of Hanoi" when, in fact, it is 120 kilometers SOUTH of Hanoi.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Thomas Fowler: [voiceover] I can't say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman's voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you're looking for, you will find here...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Mon Homme

Surprisingly captivating

I liked this film more than I thought I would. Michael Caine (nominated for an Oscar for this role) plays a British journalist in Vietnam, durring the period before the French pulled out. The film follows his investigation of some atrosities his discovers, but treats that as a "B" story to the story of his relationship with a young vietnamese girl and his friendship with a mysterious American played by Brenden Fraser, who likes the same girl. Fraser is actualy quite good in this film, shedding his trademark goofieness from his more mainstream efforts. And Caine definitely captures your interest with his performance. The film kinda moves along slowly but it strangely held my attention and it does suck you in, especialy as they throw in some unexpected plot twists towards the end. GRADE: A