In “The Quiet American,” director Phillip Noyce (“Rabbit-Proof Fence”) vividly recreates 1952 Vietnam, skillfully portraying the schism between plush French-colonial Indo-China and the mud, blood and explosions of the escalating war. Each layer of the film built on this vivid backdrop enhances the complex reality.
A well-crafted backdrop can be compelling, but, without intriguing characters to fill the environment, there is no movie. Unlike so many visually stimulating films, “The Quiet American” does not lack deep, well-written characters. More importantly, the performances bring real life to the roles.
The film, based on Graham Greene’s story, revolves around the interactions of three characters. Michael Caine (“Quills”) is Thomas Fowler, a London Times journalist trying to prolong his stay in Vietnam to remain with his young mistress, Phuong, played by newcomer Do Thi Hai Yen.
Complicating things is the titular American, Alden Pyle, played by Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy”). He falls in love with Phuong, whose relationship with Fowler, Pyle sees, must end, owing to Fowler’s marriage to an English woman who will not divorce him.
We know in advance how this will end, as the film is told in flashback beginning with Fowler identifying Pyle’s body at the Saigon morgue. So the audience prepares for a standard murder mystery, which, of course, is not what we get.
The real mystery has less to do with Pyle’s death than with his life. He presents himself as a pleasant but slightly naíve medical missionary, but his involvement in the worrisome politics of the time is unclear.
A third power has come into existence in 1952 Vietnam, in conflict with both the colonial French and the Communist armies. Fowler is anxious to find out who is backing this new regime.
Like Pyle’s fate, the solution to the political mystery is a given. (The conspicuous presence of several less-quiet Americans will serve to remind oblivious audience members that the United States eventually had some role in the conflict in Vietnam.) But this is a case when taking the mystery out of a mystery doesn’t necessarily take the enjoyment out of watching the film.
Caine is rightly nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, his sixth nomination. He creates layers on his character, from immoral adulterer to amoral journalist to moral human being.
For ages, Michael Caine was notable for being a great actor who was not afraid to take mediocre roles in worse-than-mediocre films (for reference, see “Jaws 4: The Revenge”). Lately, with films such as “The Cider House Rules” and now “The Quiet American,” he demonstrates that his high status is still deserved.
Brendan Fraser, in a younger, American context, might be struggling with a similar reputation.
He came to prominence with 1992’s “Encino Man,” and might then have seemed destined for low-brow drinkin’ movies. But with 1998’s “Gods and Monsters,” he proved himself quite capable as a dramatic actor. “The Quiet American” enforces that conviction.
If there is a shortcoming to “The Quiet American,” it is that it doesn’t fully deliver on the lofty expectations that draw the audience in. We are immediately so sold on the reality of the characters and the setting that we assume the story will be equally engaging.
But the audience may end up disappointed at the shortage of real surprises. What sets out as a mystery becomes more of a character study. Luckily, it is an excellent character study.
Really believable performances are hard enough to come by, never mind when the actor is as familiar as Michael Caine. But he shows in “The Quiet American” that he is, still, very much Oscar-worthy.
Grade: A/B
