An Unlikely Weapon (2008)

In 1968, in 1/500th of a second Eddie Adams photographed a Saigon police chief, General Nygoc Loan, shooting a Vietcong guerrilla point black. Some say that photograph ended the Vietnam war... See full summary »

Director:

Susan Morgan Cooper

Writer:

Susan Morgan Cooper (screenplay)

Stars:

Eddie Adams, Marc Anthony, Peter Arnett

Cast

Credited cast:
Eddie Adams	...	Himself
Marc Anthony	...	Himself
Peter Arnett	...	Himself
Tom Brokaw	...	Himself
Bill Clinton	...	Himself
Bill Eppridge	...	Himself
Peter Jennings	...	Himself
Kerry Kennedy	...	Herself
David Hume Kennerly	...	Himself
Gordon Parks	...	Himself
Thi Kim Phuc Phan	...	Herself
Morley Safer	...	Himself
Rod Steiger	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Narrator
Tracey Ullman	...	Herself

Storyline

In 1968, in 1/500th of a second Eddie Adams photographed a Saigon police chief, General Nygoc Loan, shooting a Vietcong guerrilla point black. Some say that photograph ended the Vietnam war. The photo brought Eddie fame and a Pulitzer, but Eddie was haunted by the man he had vilified. He would say, "Two lives were destroyed that day, the victim's and the general." Other's would say three lives were destroyed. Eddie Adams, like most artists, was tortured by his need for perfection. Nothing he did ever satisfied him. He carved out many careers shooting covers for Life, Time, and even Penthouse. Yet, somehow, he was always pulled back into documenting wars, 13 all together. Finally he hit the wall and couldn't take it anymore. He began shooting celebrities because "It doesn't take anything from you." Eddie was comfortable with kings and coal miners. During his time with Parade magazines he photographed Clint Eastwood, Louis Armstrong, Mother Teresa, and Pope John Paul.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | pulitzer prize | photojournalist | camera | three word title | 

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Taglines:

1/500th of a second to get the shot...a lifetime to forget it

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Cooper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

This motion picture is worth more than 1,000 words

Very interesting documentary about Eddie Adams, the legendary photographer whose career spanned 13 wars, 6 US presidents, and 50 years of movie stars. His most famous picture is that of a Vietcong being shot during the war by a Saigon police chief.

His friends and co-workers talk about Adams, who died a few years ago, and say how much he influenced them and how much his photos influenced the American people. There are a lot of interviews with Adams before he died that the director found while rummaging through piles of tapes in Adams' photo studio. People like Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw and Kim Phuc (she was the girl running naked on the street during Vietnam with severe burns) are interviewed as well.

The stories of his time in Vietnam are amazing, especially the moment he took that famous photograph. Apparently that photograph is what influenced Michael Cimino to make The Deer Hunter.

I also had no idea that among other things, Adams is the one who took the photo of Clint Eastwood that became the poster for Unforgiven.

This was a great documentary, I really enjoyed it.