What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

I don't know what it is about Graham Green, but he really did get it right, repeatedly. This, no exception, and the producers, actors and all bring his work to life.I recently watched this movie again, after fifteen years, and indeed after 45 years or so from living in Viet Nam, in both Saigon and Vung Tau as a boy. I'm not so old as to know the Saigon of 1954. I did not arrive until just after the Tet offensive in 1968.The set scenes, most, presumably shot in Hanoi, are very surprisingly accurate. I only recognised the centre square in Saigon. The only difference from when I was there was the number of cheap Honda motor bikes on the streets. Which of course would not have been there in 1952-4.My father worked in foreign aid, was debriefed every two weeks or so, and kept tabs on all his employees just in case one of their relatives went VC and they, that would be the employees, could be used as blackmail. The CIA were very, very prevalent around my fathers circles and yes, the underlying premise of American intervention and destabalisation is absolutely spot on; me, having been mentored as a young lad by a small few Americans.The occasional quip in the film about the sound of an explosion is also eerily accurate. You really did get to know the sound of various devices going off. As kids we counted the helicopters (Hueys) going out and coming back in. Train spotting with a twist. We could tell, at least we told ourselves, whether gun fire was Armalite, M1's, M16's etc, AK's? We kept diaries and even pretended we knew whether it was a Chinese AK knockoff or the real deal.We even used to, being kids, boast about our scars. Most of us snuck out after curfew. The concrete abrasions didn't really count, they were just near misses. The spaulding burns meant that you were in an aircraft, serious cudos. But I digress and I've drifted off point. So. This really is a remarkable movie. Written in its original by Graham Green and expressed in such a way as to have stood the test of time by this wonderful rendition. A must watch, and indeed a must read.

Director Philip Noyce brings Graham Greene's novel to the screen with exquisite style and demanding substance. The depth and power of Greene's work is preserved and dramatized with amazing skill. With that being said, there is one element of this film that is absolutely amazing and that is Michael Caine's portrait of Fowler. Giving another extraordinary performance of unforgettable power, Caine not only brings Fowler to life but inhabits Graham Greene himself. The supporting cast is certainly able but it is that single performance by Caine that will leave you breathless and completely in wonder of this great actor's gifts. His portrayal leaves you overwhelmed by the character's complexity and inner turmoil. What you witness in all Caine accomplishes here will haunt forever anyone who appreciates the finest of acting.

Entertaining picture dealing with a central romance along with thrills , political details and warlike deeds about Vietnam war . A young naive American named Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser) and a cynical older British journalist called Fowler (Michael Caine) disagree over politics in 1952 Vietnam and over a beautiful young native girl called Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen) . As a ¨quiet American¨ with dark secrets arrives in Saigon with his own plan to settle country's conflicts . As it's not clear whether Alden Pyle is just what he appears , as he seems to be an innocent Young American opposite the older, cynical Brit Thomas Fowler . Eventually Fowler must confront moral conflicts and the relationship between Pyle and him reaches some problems connected with a Vietnamese General , at the same time the war and a political upheaval take place . Interesting second rendition of the Graham Greene novel including a love triangle , emotion , wartime events and many other things . The picture relies heavily on the love triangle between the ironical British reporter , his enticing mistress and the strange quiet American , but it doesn't boring , neither tiring and nor dull . Michael Caine is good as a correspondent covering a conflict and finding himself becoming personally involved when he befriends an American who is not all that he seems to and also falling for a beautiful young Vietnamese , a mesmerizing Do Thi Hai . The movie has its touching moments found primarily in the superb performances from trio protagonist . The film ends with newspaper stories written by Thomas Fowler about Vietnam from 1954 to 1966. However the book on which the film was based was published in 1955, so these are mostly events which happened after the book came out . The US release of this movie was delayed for more than a year by the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001. The producers were concerned that it would be seen as anti-American.Miramax had paid $5.5 million for the rights to distribute the movie in North America and some other territories, but then shelved it for a long time. Miramax even planned to send this movie to go straight-to-video. But Michael Caine successfully persuaded Miramax to screen this movie at 2002 Toronto International Film Festival; the movie received many good reviews at the Film Festival, so Miramax decided to release this movie in the United States theatrically . This handsomely mounted flick was well directed by Phillip Noyce , a successful Australian director who filmed Dead Calm (1989), starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill and Billy Zane , it brought Noyce to Hollywood, where he directed 6 films over the next decade, including Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and present danger (1994) starring Harrison Ford, and The bone collector (1999), starring Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.The first version with a very good cast such as Audie Murphy as the American , Michael Redgrave as Thomas Fowler , Claude Dauphin as Inspector Vigot , Giorgia Moll as Phuong Bruce Cabot as Bill Granger resulted to be more a killing mystery than the political/drama intented , while this last retelling turned to be more faithful to Graham Greene than Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1958 take on . In fact , in Europe, director-writer Joseph L. Mankiewicz was savagely attacked for his film's infidelity to the source novel by Graham Greene, not least by Greene himself. The screenplay essentially turns the novel inside-out, so that the blundering "quiet American", whose extreme naiveté causes tragedies .

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.