The Quiet American (2002)

An old British reporter vies with a young U.S. doctor for the affections of a beautiful Vietnamese woman.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Graham Greene (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Thi Hai Yen Do

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Thomas Fowler
Brendan Fraser	...	Alden Pyle
Thi Hai Yen Do	...	Phuong
Rade Serbedzija	...	Inspector Vigot (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Tzi Ma	...	Hinh
Robert Stanton	...	Joe Tunney
Holmes Osborne	...	Bill Granger
Quang Hai	...	General Thé
Ferdinand Hoang	...	Mr. Muoi
Pham Thi Mai Hoa	...	Phuong's Sister
Mathias Mlekuz	...	French Captain
Kevin Tran	...	Watch Tower Soldier
Lap Phan	...	Watch Tower Soldier
Tim Bennett	...	American Photographer
Jeff Truman	...	Dancing American

Storyline

British Thomas Fowler enjoys his life in Saigon working as a reporter for the London Times, covering the war in Vietnam between the colonial French powers and the Communists, who seem to be winning the war. In the later stages of his career, he takes his job lightly now, filing stories only on occasion, and no longer doing field work. But most importantly, this posting allows him to escape from what he considers a dreary life in London, including an unsatisfying marriage to a Catholic woman, who will never grant him a divorce, which in turn allows him to have an affair with a young Vietnamese ex-taxi dancer named Phuong, whom he loves and would marry if he were able. Phuong's sister doesn't much like Fowler, if only because he cannot provide a stable future for her. His idyllic life is threatened when the head office suggests he go back to London. In this way, he decides to write a major story to prove to his superiors that he should stay in Saigon. In 1952, Fowler is called into the ...

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Plot Keywords:

year 1952 | first indochina war | french indochina | asia | french colonial empire | 

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Taglines:

In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for images of violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Studio Canal

Country:

UK Germany USA Vietnam Australia France Canada

Language:

English French Vietnamese

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der stille Amerikaner

Filming Locations:

Saigon, Vietnam

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$101,663, 24 November 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,987,647, 3 August 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,674,124, 31 December 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Intermedia Films, Mirage Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Michael Caine was offered the part of the lead character Maurice Castle in the earlier Graham Greene filmed adaptation The Human Factor (1979), but turned it down. He starred in two theatrical adaptations of Graham Greene novels: Beyond the Limit (1983) and this movie.

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Goofs

Fowler constantly mispronounces Phuong's name (as "phong" instead of "phuong"), even though he had been partnered to her for two years. Phuong corrected Pyle when he made the same mistake.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Thomas Fowler: [narrating] I can't say what made me fall in love with Vietnam.That a woman's voice can drug you? That everything is so intense? The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London.
Thomas Fowler: They say whatever you're looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that's the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Quiet American: Featurette (2002)

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Soundtracks

Tieng Dan Ai
Written by Hoang Trong & Quoc Bao
Performed by Moc Lan

User Reviews

Well Made But Too Complex To Be Entirely Cinematic

The story starts with the body of American Adrien Pyle , a medical specialist , being found in a river in Saigon . He has been stabbed to death and London Times journalist Thomas Fowler recounts to the authorities how he knew the man

TQE is a very strange film to comment on simply because I get the feeling that it is based on a very complex political novel by Graham Greene and it's interesting to note how many people on this page have commentated on how well or how badly it has been adapted to screen . It's also interesting to note that it was filmed in the spring of 2001 when George Bush's " war on terrorism " had not happened which clouds the issue more . People on the message boards have written many political threads to tie in with this but it's very interesting that Greene's original novel was written several years before Lyndon B Johnson sent combat troops to South East Asia , so Greene is criticisng American foreign policy in general and an intelligent , cogent way , not so much jumping on the fashionable bandwagon with Michael Moore , John Pilger and George Monbiot so I guess for that he deserves some credit

As a film what makes it so successful is with the casting . Michael Caine as we all know is a living legend and the fact that he has appeared in so many awful movies simply for the money while still retaining prestigious star quality speaks volumes for his talent and as you might expect in this type of role he's superb . What is even more amazing than Caine's performance is that of Brendan Fraser's as Adrien Pyle . I've just remembered how good he was in GODS AND MONSTERS and he's equally as good here as a man who's not what he seems to be . One can't help thinking how well he'd be regarded as an actor if he'd decided to skip THE MUMMY films which unfortunately seems to have prematurely killed his career . Certainly I wasn't reminded of Rick O'Connel while watching this

Where the film falters is - Again - where it shows its literary roots . There's no way you can confuse a Graham Greene novel with a Harold Robbins one , but there's maybe too much of a romantic subplot which gets in the way of the real story and you find your self questioning as to what the main story . Is it the political one or the love triangle ?