I was pleasantly surprised. Michael Caine played the role of the aging lover with dignity. Brendan Fraser isn't known for his dramatic strengths but he should; I thought that he was fabulous opposite Ian McKellan in Gods and Monsters. Initially when we meet him, we think that he is a charming innocent who is in sinful Saigon, about to lose his innocence in the face of beauty and corruption. He falls for Phuong and quite awkwardly seeks to win her from Fowler.
What makes Pyle dangerous is his seeming charm and innocence. His gentle manner masks a dark agenda that includes backing a murderous, narcissistic general. The audience recognizes that his love for Phuong is not genuine; it is what she represents that is seductive and desirable. The actual person is unimportant. As an allegory, this story totally works. There is one scene where she has come under his protection and begins to dress differently in a sexy contemporary American style. She has rejected the traditional silk dresses that respectable women in her culture wear. Pyle promises that he will never leave her as other Westerners do with their Asian lovers. But hindsight in history is 20/20 and we know that this scene foreshadows what America will do when it must abandon its Indochina interests and beat a humiliating retreat back home.
I know that many have seen this film as being anti-American. Yes, there is indeed a strong subtext that rings loudly, especially given the current political climate. Still, go see the film and see it for the story of how obsessive love weakens and implodes.
What makes Pyle dangerous is his seeming charm and innocence. His gentle manner masks a dark agenda that includes backing a murderous, narcissistic general. The audience recognizes that his love for Phuong is not genuine; it is what she represents that is seductive and desirable. The actual person is unimportant. As an allegory, this story totally works. There is one scene where she has come under his protection and begins to dress differently in a sexy contemporary American style. She has rejected the traditional silk dresses that respectable women in her culture wear. Pyle promises that he will never leave her as other Westerners do with their Asian lovers. But hindsight in history is 20/20 and we know that this scene foreshadows what America will do when it must abandon its Indochina interests and beat a humiliating retreat back home.
I know that many have seen this film as being anti-American. Yes, there is indeed a strong subtext that rings loudly, especially given the current political climate. Still, go see the film and see it for the story of how obsessive love weakens and implodes.