The Year of Living Dangerously

Audience Reviews

View More

keven q @kevenquinlan Jan 2 Ok, a young Mel and Sigourney- it's basically a romance in the middle of a countries turmoil. It's really good- but I'm not going to add it to my collection. By all means Watch It- but I don't think it's a keeper. Also- I'm sorry but I tire of the narrative of Starving Children when it's the irresponsible poor over populating their country and not being held accountable. You DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT to reproduce when you can't ensure the survival of YOUR CHILDREN. I shouldn't have to feel bad for you- that's YOUR making, not mine. See more thiago s @Thiagostone 05/04/2025 Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é mais ou menos, mas ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, os personagens sao fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom. See more bob c @RT46426964 01/08/2025 Good for its era but has not aged so well, particularly technically. The politics are spot on though. See more Alain E @AlainE 10/23/2024 Excellent opportunity to see Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in the beginning of their careers. The movie depicts realistically third world conditions in the early sixties. Western journalists mostly have a good time as the local society is going to hell. The woman who plays Gibson’s male assistant-very convincingly I should say- was awarded an Oscar for supporting acting. See more Alec B @Alec97 01/10/2024 The "journalists witnessing atrocities" genre is often fraught with narrative issues. This movie certainly isn't free of those problems but I like how almost intentionally clueless the western reporters are for most of the movie, caring more about the prestige of the "scoop" rather than the genocide occurring before their very eyes. See more Taylor L @RT77267842 01/29/2023 As much as I appreciate Linda Hunt as an actress (Silverado was a VHS favorite growing up), it's difficult to see her nuanced performance getting the same recognition these days. An American actress portraying a Chinese-Australian photojournalist in Indonesia just doesn't jive well these days, regardless of how capably it's done. Director Peter Weir has some legitimate masterpieces to his name, but The Year of Living Dangerously isn't one of them. Adapted from a novel of the same name by C. J. Koch, the script covers the instability of Indonesia in 1965 through three people - Mel Gibson's fresh-faced but ambitious Australian journalist Guy, Hunt as altruistic photographer Billy Kwan with local connections, and Sigourney Weaver as Jill, a British diplomatic representative. The narrative aims to present both a romantic melodrama between Guy and Jill where the unpredictable atmosphere makes things hot and heavy, while criticizing the exploitative attitude of Westerners that see the unrest and suffering only as a means of personal gain. It's ambitious, but it probably worked better off as a novel; there's not enough time to explore each of the components in detail, even if the performances are good all around. The romance reinforces the flippant nature of the outsiders, but it's more of a brief footnote to a main political plot that feels pretty blunt and relies on Guy being doggedly self-serving, which really takes away from the audience supporting him getting with Jill or fleeing the country. Well-executed practically, especially when it comes to the frantic depiction of revolutionary Indonesia, but messy in structure. (2.5/5) See more Read all reviews

The Year of Living Dangerously

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING