The Killing Fields

R

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2 hr. 21 min.

Drama

List

93%

43 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) and American photojournalist Al Rockoff (John Malkovich). When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story -- a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

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Critics Consensus

Artfully composed, powerfully acted, and fueled by a powerful blend of anger and empathy, The Killing Fields is a career-defining triumph for director Roland Joffé and a masterpiece of cinema.

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Gareth v

A powerful war movie that looks at the damage and pain caused by the Khmer Rogue and also the story of friendship and loyalty. Ngor in his first role is sensational as the interpretor, Dith Pran. One of the the best movies of 1984.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/26/23

Full Review

Garrett B. - Gtmkm98

Sam Waterston and Haing S. Ngor act their hearts out in this heartbreaking and unforgiving masterpiece chronicling the horrors of the Khmer Rouge. Dith Pran (Ngor) witnesses and experiences unspeakable horror throughout the movie, losing his family and nearly his life to the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime. Even so, he refuses to give up, even when he's on his last breath. His story of resilience is among the best filmed in cinema. And it doesn't hurt that Ngor actually experienced the regime firsthand. As for Schaumburg (Waterston), he faces his own adversities throughout the movie, rising up and blowing his role out of the water. If this film was a foreshadowing to his run on Law and Order, it was a good one. Absolutely phenomenal movie detailing the resilience of man in horrible situations.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/06/23

Full Review

John A

A very early and fired-up Sam Waterston performance infuses what this film needs to really work. The length and mildly unfocused direction are the main detractors for this harrowing and earnest 80's flick but by the time the end credits roll you will have any regret in witnessing Roland Joffe's career high.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/23

Full Review

dave s

It's hard to imagine that what should have been a great film could be reduced to merely passable based on a bad music score, but such might be the case with The Killing Fields. The movie, about friendship, loyalty and the horror of war, centers around the relationship between New York Times journalist Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) and his aide Dith Pran (Haing Ngor) as they try to bring international attention to Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia and the covert American intrusion into the country at the tail end of the war in Vietnam. Filled with countless powerful images and an enduring message, much of the impact is sabotaged by Mike Oldfield's horribly distracting score, consisting primarily of a shrill and wince-inducing synthesizer that sucks the emotion out of countless powerful scenes. While it's still worth watching, it might be more impactful with the sound turned down and the subtitles turned on. Just a suggestion.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An absolutely sensational movie. I rarely cry over films and TV but this was an exception. Beautiful ending, enough to make any human being shed a tear. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because there are a lot of scenes in which Cambodian is spoken without English subtitles which is confusing.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting but fails to keep you absorbed

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/19/21

Full Review

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Roland Joffé

Director

Sam Waterston

Sydney Schanberg

Haing S. Ngor

Dith Pran

John Malkovich

Alan "Al" Rockoff

Julian Sands

John Swain

Craig T. Nelson

Major Reeves

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

... a visually arresting epic guaranteed to capture the hearts and minds of its audience.

Jan 4, 2018

Full Review

Peter Travers

People Magazine

If you see no more than one film a year, make this the one for 1984.

Sep 16, 2015

Full Review

Noel Murray

The Dissolve

Every scene of The Killing Fields (and every participant in its making) is in service of showing how abruptly a seemingly safe and vital individual can have everything essential stripped away.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 13, 2014

Full Review

Molly Haskell

Vogue

This is one of the quietest "war" movies ever made; yet, it's an indelible portrait of the excitement, horror, and confusion with which journalists experience war.

Feb 27, 2020

Full Review

Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Intense, violent movie about brutal Cambodian regime.

Rated: 4/5

May 8, 2018

Full Review

Adrian Turner

Radio Times

Few feature films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically than Roland Joff's The Killing Fields.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 16, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) and American photojournalist Al Rockoff (John Malkovich). When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story -- a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

Director: Roland Joffé
Production Co: Goldcrest Films International, Enigma Productions, International Film Investors
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Sound Mix: Surround

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