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IMDbPro

The Year of Living Dangerously

  • 1982
  • PG
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
22K
YOUR RATING
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
DramaRomanceWar

A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.

  • Director
    • Peter Weir
  • Writers
    • David Williamson
    • Peter Weir
    • C.J. Koch
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Sigourney Weaver
    • Linda Hunt
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • David Williamson
      • Peter Weir
      • C.J. Koch
    • Stars
      • Mel Gibson
      • Sigourney Weaver
      • Linda Hunt
    • 123User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 10 wins & 14 nominations total

    Photos89

    The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Peter Weir in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Linda Hunt in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson and Michael Murphy in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, and Michael Murphy in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
    Linda Hunt in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mel Gibson
    Mel Gibson
    • Guy Hamilton
    Sigourney Weaver
    Sigourney Weaver
    • Jill Bryant
    Linda Hunt
    Linda Hunt
    • Billy Kwan
    Bembol Roco
    Bembol Roco
    • Kumar
    Domingo Landicho
    • Hortono
    Hermino De Guzman
    • Immigration Officer
    Michael Murphy
    Michael Murphy
    • Pete Curtis
    Noel Ferrier
    • Wally O'Sullivan
    Paul Sonkkila
    Paul Sonkkila
    • Kevin Condon
    Ali Nur
    • Ali
    Dominador Robridillo
    • Betjak Man
    Joel Agona
    • Palace Guard
    Mike Emperio
    • Sukarno
    Bernardo Nacilla
    • Dwarf
    Bill Kerr
    Bill Kerr
    • Colonel Henderson
    Coco Marantha
    • Pool Waiter
    Kuh Ledesma
    Kuh Ledesma
    • Tiger Lily
    Norma Uatuhan
    • Ibu
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • David Williamson
      • Peter Weir
      • C.J. Koch
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Peter Weir cast Linda Hunt in the role of Billy Kwan after failing to find an actor who could play the part the way he wanted.
    • Goofs
      Billy's still camera is a Nikon F2 Photomic, which was not released until 1971, while the film takes place in 1965.
    • Quotes

      Billy Kwan: What then must we do? We must give with love to whoever God has placed in our path.

    • Connections
      Featured in Peter Weir Industry Seminar 1989 (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Beim Schlafengehen
      from "Four Last Songs"

      by Richard Strauss

      Performed by Kiri Te Kanawa and London Symphony Orchestra

      Conducted by Andrew Davis

      Courtesy of CBS Masterworks

      Published by Boosey-Hawkes

    User reviews123

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Would have been far more absorbing with Kwan at its centre
    Peter Weir's The Year of Living Dangerously is now an Australian classic and, along with the likes of Panic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli, helped establish Weir as a film-maker to watch our for and eased his inevitable transition to Hollywood. Living Dangerously may now be a more obviously flawed film in 2017 than it was back in '82, but it still retains a sense of raw power stemming from an uncanny sense of place and danger. The setting is Indonesia, 1965, and President Sukarno's grasp on power is quickly fading. It's the eve of his overthrowing by the military and the communist purge that quickly followed, and journalists in Jakarta huddle in sweaty bars, feeding on scraps thrown to them by Sukarno, knocking back beers and chasing tail to pass the time.

    The last guy left in a hurry, so young Australian foreign correspondent Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) arrives in Jakarta without a single informant or friend to lean on. The diplomats and fellow journalists who inhabit the same bar every night take no pity on him, but sympathetic Chinese-Australian dwarf named Billy Kwan sees something in the handsome, chain-smoking young man and decides to help him. Kwan believes strongly in Sukarno, the President his own people has dubbed the 'Puppet Master' due to his ability to keep the peace between the Communist Party and the military, and that he will save his poverty-stricken people from starvation. As well as setting up a key interview for the young journalist, he also introduces Hamilton to Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), a beautiful assistant working for the British embassy. As the conflict heats up and the stories become juicier and more perilous, Hamilton must choose between his job, his lover and his close friend.

    The flaws of The Year of Living Dangerously are more apparent now, 35 years after its release, as the idea of cinema's tendency to 'whitewash' is now more openly discussed. It becomes clear very quickly that the most interesting character in the film is Billy Kwan. He has a much more personal attachment to the events playing out, and proves a more charismatic screen presence than Gibson's blander outsider. He is also played astonishingly well by Linda Hunt, the only actor to win an Academy Award for the playing a character of the opposite sex. When Kwan retreats into the background around the half-way mark, the focus shifts to the blossoming romance between Hamilton and Bryant, and the film becomes far less interesting in the process. However, there are some terrific individual scenes. The initial excitement of shooting a violent protest quickly gets out of hand, and a horrifyingly tense slow-drive through a heavily-armed road-block will leave you holding your breath. Yet it's difficult to shake the feeling that Weir's movie would have been far more absorbing with Kwan as the driving force at its centre.
    helpful•10
    1
    • tomgillespie2002
    • Dec 3, 2017

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    FAQ1

    • Is this film based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 18, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Australia
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Tagalog
      • Filipino
      • Indonesian
    • Also known as
      • Ein Jahr in der Hölle
    • Filming locations
      • Philippines
    • Production companies
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
      • Freddie Fields Productions
      • McElroy & McElroy
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $13,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,278,575
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $35,000
      • Jan 23, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,278,575
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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