IMDb >
The Killing Fields (1984)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Killing Fields (1984) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 21 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 3) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Bruce Robinson (screenplay)
Release Date:
2 November 1984 (USA)
more
Tagline:
He was a reporter for the New York Times whose coverage of the Cambodian War would win him a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. But the friend who made it possible was half the world away with his life in great danger... This is the story of war and friendship, the anguish of a country and of one man's will to live. more
Plot:
A photographer is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody "Year Zero" cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million "undesirable" civilians. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Cambodia
|
New York Times
|
Khmer Rouge
|
New York
|
Airport
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars.
Another 23 wins
&
18 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(35 articles)
Cinematographers to Honor Chris Menges
(From The Wrap. 3 December 2009, 6:21 PM, PST)
Asc honors Chris Menges
(From AwardsDaily. 3 December 2009, 10:33 AM, PST)
(From The Wrap. 3 December 2009, 6:21 PM, PST)
Asc honors Chris Menges
(From AwardsDaily. 3 December 2009, 10:33 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Powerful Drama But Hard To Watch
more (135 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Sam Waterston | ... | Sydney Schanberg | |
| Haing S. Ngor | ... | Dith Pran (as Dr. Haing S Ngor) | |
| John Malkovich | ... | Alan 'Al' Rockoff | |
| Julian Sands | ... | John Swain | |
| Craig T. Nelson | ... | Major Reeves | |
| Spalding Gray | ... | U.S. Consul | |
| Bill Paterson | ... | Dr. MacEntire | |
| Athol Fugard | ... | Dr. Sundesval | |
| Graham Kennedy | ... | Dougal | |
| Katherine Krapum Chey | ... | Ser Moeum | |
| Oliver Pierpaoli | ... | Titony | |
| Edward Entero Chey | ... | Sarun | |
| Tom Bird | ... | U.S. Military Advisor | |
| Monirak Sisowath | ... | Phat - Khmer Rouge Leader | |
| Lambool Dtangpaibool | ... | Phat's Son |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
141 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
Australia:M |
South Korea:15 (DVD rating) |
Argentina:18 |
Chile:18 |
Finland:K-16 |
Norway:15 |
South Korea:15 |
Sweden:15 |
USA:R |
West Germany:16 |
Netherlands:12 |
Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) |
Singapore:PG |
Portugal:M/16 |
UK:15
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The year the film was released, Time Magazine's Cultural Highs and Lows of the Year, had as the lowest point, 'David Puttnam's decision to use John Lennon's Imagine in The Killing Fields'.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Sydney is talking to Dith Pran in his room, Sydney's hairstyle changes between shots. It goes from neatly combed to hanging down over his forehead to neatly combed again.
more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Sydney Schanberg: Cambodia. To many westerners it seemed a paradise. Another world, a secret world. But the war in neighboring Vietnam burst it's borders, and the fighting soon spread to neutral Cambodia. In 1973 I went to cover this side-show struggle as a foreign correspondent of the New York Times...
more
Sydney Schanberg: Cambodia. To many westerners it seemed a paradise. Another world, a secret world. But the war in neighboring Vietnam burst it's borders, and the fighting soon spread to neutral Cambodia. In 1973 I went to cover this side-show struggle as a foreign correspondent of the New York Times...
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)
more
Soundtrack:
Band On The Run
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (135 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Killing Fields (1984) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Midnight Express | Missing | A Mighty Heart | Die Stille nach dem Schuß | Cidade de Deus |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |




It's been over 20 years since I saw this film and parts of it still haunt me.....brutal, emotional scenes which I do NOT want to see ever again. It's just too gut-wrenching and uncomfortable to sit through a second time. Generally, it's two hours of suffering and torture. Who wants to watch that?
It IS a powerful story, though, based on the true life adventures of Dith Pran (played by Haing S. Ngor) who somehow survived the unbelievably-brutal regime of Cambodia dictator Pol Pot. Other reviewers here have detailed the storyline, so there is no sense me rehashing that.
Suffice to say this is a movie that - be warned - is very tough to view in many spots - but will leave you emotionally drained. Ngor's harrowing performance is one to remember, as is the horrible story of what happened in the mid '70s in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. This movie was filmed with Thailand and the scenery there, along with the excellent cinematography, makes this a visual treat.
Some have complained that the film is too slow for them. Others didn't like this because it was overtly anti-American in some regards (the bombing of Cambodia). I can understand those complaints. What bothered me most was that I just found the whole based-on-a-true happening story too sad.