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| DIRECTED BY |
| Phillip Noyce |
| STARRING |
| Michael Caine |
| Brendan Fraser |
| Do Thi Hai Yen |
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�The Quiet American� is a film that meticulously constructs its storyline bit by bit and piece by piece, but even with all of the obvious care that was put into its construction, there is such a thing as being too careful. That is, careful to the point of being plodding. The film wastes no time with its theme of love at first sight, quickly establishing the fact that both of these men, who ostensibly share the same motivations, love the same women. There are benefits of the meticulous construction, however, particularly with the filmmakers� achievement in weaving a romantic and exotic atmosphere around such a horrific backdrop � the Vietnamese war.
Perhaps my most unwavering grievance with this film is its opening. Why did Noyce feel that revealing to us Pyle�s death and then flashing back to the events that took place beforehand would be affective? It seemed to me that this was used simply to create a stylized opening sequence; it certainly didn�t serve any dramatic purpose other than letting the audience know what happened before it happens, thus eliminating a valuable degree of suspense that this film very dearly needed. Granted, this narrative device works well with some films, but it simply does not work with this one.
Brendan Fraser wasn�t a good casting choice. He so clearly tries to cast an aura of mysteriousness over himself throughout the film, but ultimately comes across as irritating to watch. Michael Caine, on the other hand, gives an emphatic performance that makes up for the extreme lethargy of the film itself.
The story of love amongst a war torn backdrop is executed as well as I�ve ever seen in a film, but that still doesn�t make it all that compelling. The most interesting points in the film come with Fowler�s (Michael Caine) discovery of Pyle�s true motivations (in reference to one particularly excellent sequence involving Fowler having a series of flashbacks.) But then again, the fact that I already knew what was going to happen disappointed and annoyed me greatly.
