Based on Graham Greene's novel, Phillip Noyce's The Quiet American is must-see for anyone who wants to be engaged, delighted, riveted, and haunted. It is a great, conjuring act of melodrama, suspense, and even romance. At a time when any filmmaker can engage us on a purely facile level, Noyce is fair and gentle, cutting no corners. Every dramatic moment is earned gracefully. It follows Michael Caine as Thomas Fowler, a journalist living in Saigon in 1952, when the conflict between America and Vietnam is just beginning. He meets an American (the 'quiet American', that is) named Alden Pyle (Brendan Frasier), an idealistic aid worker, and becomes friends with him. Their relationship becomes more complicated (for the worse) stemming from Pyle falling in love with Fowler's mistress Phuong (Hai Yen) and other revelations that I would have to be deranged to reveal. The film uses this story as a jumping off point and becomes a questioning of America's involvement in Vietnam. While Pyle is representative of America at the beginning of the war, Noyce never tries to be blunt about this; this is a film that can be enjoyed on the level of a human drama if one is oblivious to the political undertones. It can also be enjoyed as an ode to Vietnam, the beautiful country looking all the more beautiful with the help of the lush cinematography by Christopher Doyle, Huu Tuang Nguyen, and Dat Quang. Also more than worth mentioning is the resounding score by Craig Armstrong. Michael Caine and Brendan Frasier both have the quality of being wonderful while making us wonder just why they are so wonderful. There are no powerhouse moments or big dramatic speeches (a scene where Caine starts crying is done realistically rather than artificially dramatically). There are in scenes of interesting and provocative chatter and, in these scenes, Frasier and Caine are true to their characters while being absolutely gripping. By the end of the film, we have been swept off our feat by godlike, grandly small-scale drama. This is a masterpiece and Phillip Noyce, Michael Caine, Brendan Frasier, Hai Yen, Christopher Doyle, Huu Tuang, Dan Quang, and Craig Armstrong are all masters, of style, drama, melodrama, wit, and romance.
Review of The Quiet American
