Textured, complex and subtle, the adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel (Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan) is sublimely nuanced and understated.
As the Communist-aligned Viet Cong challenge French colonial rule, so American influence and financial support in 1950s Vietnam is on the increase. Based in Saigon, long-term The Times correspondent Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine) discovers recent diplomatic arrival Brendan Fraser is more CIA than trade. With the threat of being recalled to a dreary London and married life, Fowler also discovers Foster has designs on Phuong (Thi Hai Yen), his live-in girlfriend.
With a powerful central performance from Caine, The Quiet American as directed by Phillip Noyce is a sultry drama of intrigue and morality, personal struggles and ethics set in a country looking to define and choose for itself.
Nominated for 1 Oscar in 2003 (Michael Caine).
Rating: 80%
Director: Phillip Noyce (Rabbit Proof Fence, Salt),
Writer: Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons), Robert Schenkkan (Hacksaw Ridge, TV’s The Pacific) – adapted from the novel by Graham Greene
Main cast: Michael Caine (Alfie, Cider With Rosie), Brendan Fraser (The Mummy, Crash), Thi Hai Yen Do (Song of the Stork, Adrift)
An Opinion or Two 