Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Keira Brennan The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

FilmBuff1994 The Quiet American is a great movie with a very well developed plot and a terrific cast. It's a very deep film that takes place at the forefront of the war in Saigon, with the story being retold by a journalist. However, it never gets too invested in to this war, mainly focusing on a love triangle, giving the film a lot of intimacy, as well as a surreal side story to go along with it. Though a large majority of the scenes are slow and dialogue heavy, it had me at the edge of my seat throughout as a result of the intensity of words, rather than actions. There were, however, times were I found it difficult to support Thomas Fowler, he was clearly an arrogant, self centred man, who cared about no one other than himself. It becomes difficult to route for someone who is only out for himself, even at the midst of these serious events, I just feel the character could have been given more humanity. The performances are all around stellar. Brendan Fraser shines in the greatest role I have seen him in, conveying a lot of subtle emotions as Aiden Pyle, and Do Thi Hai Yen has a excellent presence, as well as beautiful chemistry with both male leads. The highlight of the film is, of course, Michael Caine in one of his most layered performances. He has so much depth as Fowler, with so much development of the character coming from Caine doing and saying nothing at all, merely just being. A hard hitting drama that kept me invested throughout. Sweet and engrossing, The Quiet American is worth the watch for anyone looking for a good drama. The comfortable life of a British journalist soon changes as he finds himself caught in a love triangle while covering the conflict in Vietnam. Best Performance: Michael Caine

Tim Kidner I've decided to say very little about this movie, except that it's one of quiet quality - the story, the screenplay, the acting by all and the location work.Like its title, it does not and indeed doesn't need to shout out about its many fine qualities. The story is universal, 'old school' - in that there is actually one to be told and is portrayed in an intelligent manner by director Philip Noyce. Michael Caine's performance remains one his very best - subtle, vulnerable but still commanding and Brendan Fraser, so often type-casted into comedy and action 'matinee' style blockbusters that we are slightly surprised that he rises to this occasion nicely.For a film to teach us about human behaviour, history during a contentious and difficult time for many (Vietnam, of course) but not feel the need to ram actual war down our throats is refreshing. It might not be considered a classic, but good it is and should be on a to-see list if a quality intelligent drama and one that doesn't require endless to-ing and fro-ing and getting lost in over-elaborate plot-lines. Fans of Michael Caine should actually own it, as those who follow the excellent Grahame Greene and his cinematic adaptations.

tubby1 Graham Greene's 'The Quiet American' is wonderful evocation of Saigon and Vietnam during the French War. The story revolves around Mr. Fowler, a cynical British journalist, and Pyle a young American idealist both of whom are in love with Phuong, a young Vietnamese woman. Unfortunately, the film is a bitter disappointment. Greene's deftly crafted canvas has been brazenly mis-handled with the film applying impatient and ill-defined strokes.'The Quiet American' uses the love triangle as the focal point of the story when it should have been rather more focal on the political and personal intrigue within the book. The film is certainly a commercial one, dumbing down the themes and spoon feeding the audience. I was even let down by the production values, as it did not transfer the lavish and brooding atmosphere in Greene's work. The romance is not creditable and the characters are vastly under developed and malnourished. The film does not spend enough time in any one place and this is probably its biggest fault.Maybe I am prejudice by my memory of the book but the film is way off-key, poorly conceived and mis-aligned with Greene's words. If the purpose of the film was to capture the book it needs to re-study the masterpiece.

Rockwell_Cronenberg Phillip Noyce's The Quiet American plays into his wheelhouse as a political thriller, but the more interesting aspect of it (on paper) is the love story centered at the middle of it. It's adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same name and it feels as though it comes from another era. Taking place in Saigon in 1952, on the brink of the Vietnam War, the whole thing has this intriguing neo-noir tone as it boils down in the Vietnamese heat. We center on Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine), a British reporter living in Saigon with Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen), his extramarital lover, when an American named Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser) comes into their lives and shakes everything up. The two begin a classic game of vying for Phuong's affection, with a country falling apart in the background.It's an interesting set up and I think that Noyce was able to establish the perfect tone for it, feeling like the kind of noir romantic thriller that would have come right out of the time period. The running time is brief, clocking in at almost exactly 90 minutes, and so he doesn't waste any scenes, with each one providing something necessary for either plot progression or character development. It flies by at a smooth pace, never getting ahead of it's audience but never dragging or feeling like it's pandering either.Michael Caine guides the film as someone with his skill was born to do, taking the whole thing in his grasp and commanding every moment of it. He's in almost every scene and his presence was what drove the film the most, crafting a rich and empathetic character despite his seemingly detached emotional position when it comes to the political conflicts at hand. It's ultimately a story of a lost man, lost in country and in himself, having to look inside himself and discover the things that matter to him. There's a lot of development for his character throughout the picture and as we get into the final act it's fascinating to watch Caine unravel and peel back the layers of this man. It's the kind of performance from a veteran actor where you can truly feel the decades of this man's life being worn on every expression he makes and the way he holds himself. A very strong work from him, that unfortunately isn't quite matched by Fraser or Yen.Brendan Fraser does his best but he's just not a deep enough actor to handle the complexities of Pyle, although when the character is introduced as a naive piece of wood he fits the part to a tee. Yen is probably the biggest detractor of the film, because thanks to her dreadfully flat performance the whole romance angle doesn't work the way that it should have. Caine lifts the project up and Noyce does a good job of bleeding together the romantic plot with the larger political scope of it, but her performance drags it down a bit and kills a lot of the romance angle. Still, definitely a quality film overall thanks to a tremendous performance and some fine writing and directing.