The Quiet American

"In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction."

2002 1h 41m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 347

RomanceThrillerDramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cynical British journalist Fowler falls in love with a young Vietnamese woman but is dismayed when a naïve U.S. official also begins vying for her attention. In retaliation, Fowler informs the communists that the American is selling arms to their enemy.

“In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction.”

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Cast

Michael Caine
Thomas Fowler
Brendan Fraser
Alden Pyle
Đỗ Thị Hải Yến
Phuong
Tzi Ma
Hinh
Rade Šerbedžija
Inspector Vigot
Robert Stanton
Joe Tunney
Holmes Osborne
Bill Granger
Ngo Quang Hai
General Thế

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phillip Noyce
Writers: Christopher Hampton, Robert Schenkkan, David Russell
Languages: English, French, Vietnamese
Countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 92% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Vietnamese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Phillip Noyce, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Craig Armstrong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Scott shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser and Đỗ Thị Hải Yến carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phillip Noyce directs. Christopher Doyle behind the camera. Craig Armstrong scores. John Scott cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam. Dialogue in English, French, Vietnamese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 92% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Vietnamese.
4International production across 5 countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam.
5Directed by Phillip Noyce, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Craig Armstrong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor John Scott shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser and Đỗ Thị Hải Yến carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction.".
10IMDB entry: tt0258068 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "vietnam war", "journalist", "based on novel or book", "love triangle".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Doyle
Original score: Craig Armstrong
Editing: John Scott
Production design: Roger Ford
Costume design: Norma Moriceau
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $27,674,124
Return: 92% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Quiet American (2002)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Phillip Noyce

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-13
★ 7/10
Veteran journalist "Fowler" (Sir Michael Caine) is coming to the end of his time in Vietnam. Despite the fact that French colonial influence is waning and the Americans are desperate to stop the Communist insurgents, his employers just don't think he needs to be on-site to file his dwindling number of reports. He has a local interest in "Phuong" (Do The Hai Yen) though, and wants to stay put while he organises a divorce from his British wife. To keep his bosses at bay, he organises a trip up country to interview the powerful "General Thé" (Huang Hai) to get the lowdown on what is really happening in the countryside. Coincidentally, he also happens upon the newly arrived "Pyle" (Brendan Fraser) who has come to doctor the increasing number of wounded as this conflict erupts. It does seem a little odd that this man wants to follow "Fowler" on his perilous mission and soon a twist in the tail emerges that uncovers a complicated operation involving the CIA with nobody quite whom they appear to be. The story is told in continuous flashback, so we do know what happens at the end before we get there - though not the cause. What's interesting is trying to find out just how involved, complicit even, the Briton was in that denouement. Some of it was filmed on location which added to the authentic look of the film and there's quite a decent chemistry between an on-form Sir Michael and the usually pretty wooden Fraser as the two men see their friendship gradually disappear in a well paced rear view mirror of mistrust and duplicity.

Production companies