The Quiet American

R

Released Nov 22, 2002

1 hr. 41 min.

Drama

List

87%

156 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

From the classic novel by Graham Greene comes a murder mystery centered on a love triangle set against the French Indochina War in Vietnam, circa 1952. It's the story of a veteran English journalist (Michael Caine), a young American (Brendan Fraser), and a beautiful Vietnamese woman caught between them. This is a world where nothing is what it seems -- suffused with opium, intrigue, and betrayal.

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Critics Consensus

Thoughtful and wonderfully acted, The Quiet American manages to capture the spirit of Green's novel.

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Matthew B

I often believe that first thoughts are better. Remakes and new adaptations of stories that have already been made into a film once are often inferior to the earliest versions. Another such exception is Phillip Noyce's 2002 movie, The Quiet American. Graham Greene's moving book had already been made into a film in 1958 by Joseph L Manckiewicz, but this early version must be accounted a failure. Fast forward to the 2000s, and we can see that Greene's tale was ready for a more faithful reworking. With the American failure in Vietnam, it was less easy to subvert a story that seemed to anticipate their defeat, and there was more humbleness about America's intervention in other countries. Thank goodness that this time there was no attempt to soften or subvert the message of the original book. When The Quiet American finally emerged, it was true to the spirit of Greene's novel, and did not flinch from showing American interventionism in a bad light. Phillip Noyce brings few fireworks to the movie. His direction is subtle and almost invisible, although the film does make certain elements more explicit and obvious than they were in the book. The movie was filmed in Vietnam, and Noyce takes full advantage of the setting to produce the colourfulness of the country. Many scenes in the film are beautiful to look at. When I think of The Quiet American I think of the night-time scenes that take place outside, with lights shining softly on the water. I suppose you could accuse Noyce of exoticism. I am sometimes struck by the contrast between films set in Oriental countries that are made by westerners, and those that are made by people who are native to the area. There is a far greater emphasis on bright background detail and eastern otherness in western films. The director who is born in the country takes these things for granted, and we see the familiar features of another country only in subtle background details if we look closer. The story is held together by a great performance from Michael Caine as Thomas Fowler, the ageing, cynical and yet vulnerable reporter. Caine said that he considers this to be his best performance, and he may be right. He has the look of a man who is experienced and world-weary. We can see his doubts, troubles and guilt in every line in his face. Behind the love triangle and the political positioning lies a deeper ethical dilemma. Is it right to stay neutral, or is one morally obliged to take action? Hinh is clear about this: "Sooner or later Mr Fowler, one has to take sides. One has to be human." However the decision to act is a terrible one that brings with it guilt, and complicity in bad actions. Despite their differences, Pyle has been Fowler's friend, and is not (according to his own moral code) an evil man. Earlier in the movie, Pyle saves Fowler's life, and now Fowler is asked to take Pyle's. Does he have the right to end another man's life? Does he have the right to let Pyle live, and continue in actions that will cause more deaths? As a result, the film concludes with a happy ending that is not very happy. Fowler makes his choice, and events work out well for him, but he is obliged to live with the burden of his decision on his conscience. As he says to Phuong, "I just feel that I ought to apologise to someone." I wrote a longer appreciation of The Quiet American on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/the-quiet-american-2002/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

Chris L

An adaptation of a book which gets close to the dirty reality of 1950-70 Indochina. Michael Caine was a natural for this movie and being filmed in Vietnam makes you feel like you're there in the time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Graham Greene's dated novel depicts the Vietnam War's middle age with an antiwar message while putting factual parallels through romanticism as the central complication. This second adaptation proved itself seemingly and genuinely more thoughtful on how Greene envisioned on writing and visually connects to our historical knowledge of where it led. But the main attraction that bolstered the film is being the dynamical showcase for Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser at their finest hour from beginning to end no matter their actions, delicately executing the polished script with caress. (B+)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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steve d

I thought it was surprisingly dull despite the strong performances.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

one of the very few films to honestly portray American imperialism and empire.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

jed i

6.3/10 — "Okay"/"Watchable" -(Seen on 1/10/19)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Phillip Noyce

Director

Michael Caine

Thomas Fowler

Brendan Fraser

Alden Pyle

Do Thi Hai Yen

Phuong

Tzi Ma

Hinh

Robert Stanton

Joe Tunney

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Barbara Ellen

Times (UK)

The Quiet American is a lovely little mover, barely breaking into a sweat as it dances its dreadful dance of love and need to the backing tune of political unrest, moral ambiguity and subterfuge.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

Alan Morrison

Empire Magazine

Oscar nominations it richly deserves, not least for Michael Caine, whose performance as an English reporter goaded out of his comfortable, opium-clouded, ex-pat lifestyle ranks among the very best of his career.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

[Caine] gives one of his best performances, whether dissembling a new-found inner steel under questioning or breaking down in the privacy of a toilet.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Creative Loafing

The Quiet American is an accurate if not entirely soul-quaking adaptation of Greene's style to film. It establishes such a believable atmosphere of quiet, old-fashioned gentility that when a moment of violence occurs, the carnage is even more devastating.

Feb 4, 2020

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

A stylish, gauzy thriller and a character study of zeal and detachment that meet on an inverse scale of idealism. An intriguing, if not entirely harrowing, grapple with the idea that being human does not inherently mean being good.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 24, 2019

Full Review

Mark Steyn

The Spectator

You can't capture that prescience in a remake half-a-century on.

Feb 1, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

From the classic novel by Graham Greene comes a murder mystery centered on a love triangle set against the French Indochina War in Vietnam, circa 1952. It's the story of a veteran English journalist (Michael Caine), a young American (Brendan Fraser), and a beautiful Vietnamese woman caught between them. This is a world where nothing is what it seems -- suffused with opium, intrigue, and betrayal.

Director: Phillip Noyce
Executive Producer: Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair, Moritz Borman, Chris Sievernich
Screenwriter: Graham Greene, Christopher Hampton, Robert Schenkkan
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Mirage Enterprises, Saga, Pacifica Film
Rating: R (Some Language|Images of Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.0M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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