Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Konterr Brilliant and touching
Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation
Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
MisterWhiplash As the third part of an unofficial trilogy of Vietnam films, Stone picked as the final point a good challenge for himself as making a film not only from a woman's point of view (1st time), but from the side of the "enemy" of the war he and Kovic fought in. Of course Vietnamese people were seen in Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, but always as the "other", either in limited roles as the so-called enemy or as tragic figures of oppression. And yet despite opening during the Christmas season, it failed to connect with audiences.Seeing it now, finally, I can see why in some part; people from the West, Americans especially, wouldn't necessarily be interested in the point of view of someone who was on the side of the 'other', whether it's oppressor or oppressed (despite the attempted selling of the film on Tommy Lee Jones, audiences probably knew better that he wasn't the full star, more on him in a moment). It's one thing to see the point of view from the side of Americans, but for the other it's a tougher pill to swallow (maybe the exception is Letters from Iwo Jima, maybe), despite years after things are over and the wounds are beginning to heal. Maybe there's another aspect that is difficult to pinpoint but I could see it as Stone's, shall one say, spiritual side coming through which is his Buddhism, which is the religion of the protagonist Le Ly. How does one fully forgive and go for the belief in karma and past lives and so on? For me, this is a film that I could connect to simply on the grounds of it being a human portrait of a life lived through many, many beats. And in a way it makes sense from how the life story is told that it's the third part of a trilogy which began as a story of someone's life in the short term (the stint in combat), somewhat longer (from youth to awakening as a man full circle), and here it's from childhood to further as an adult. The life of Le Ly is at times dramatic... no, actually, it's brutal and unrelenting in its grimness. Le Ly's village is decimated and torn apart by war (not simply the Americans, though they certainly leave their mark, but the division between the two sides of the Vietnamese who bring equal hardship and misery and torture to Le Ly), and then when she has to leave with her mother to Saigon, as the story would say, "my troubles were about to begin".I'm tempted to say the first half of this may be TOO dramatic, in a sense, that things keep being thrown at Le Ly's way one after another: torture, rape, becoming an unwed mother on the streets, a dying (soon after dead) father, as well as a brother who was sent off to war and died. When I say 'heavy' it's more like an anvil is dropped. This is not to say the tone is always so heavy as far as being over-bearing - the emotion that's poured out in scene after scene by Hiep Thi Le is incredible, showing so much through her eyes as many a great actor can do. I think part of is is simply through Oliver Stone being... Oliver Stone, this coming as the "cool-off" between JFK and Natural Born Killers, so you can expect sometimes unwieldy camera-work and black and white flashbacks and the sort of intense lighting and compositions from Robert Richardson that, in a way, feel a little more out of place this time than in other Stone films of the period. The attempts to amplify the tension and horror (with the exception of one image, a big shock of fire going across the screen) are too much this time and clash with the otherwise strong, pretty straightforward direction of the dramatic scenes.Then we get into the second half when Tommy Lee Jones comes in, and it becomes a stronger picture. But his part in the film as well as everything that comes after does only work with that first half, if that makes sense; everything that Le Ly has endured and experienced, every moment that's forced her to be less foolish or ignorant or slow to understand something or naive makes her stronger so that when a strong, seemingly kind and generous man like Jones' Steve comes in, we get it. We know why she puts her guard up and why it goes down. And for Jones' part, as he has an arc as well as a man with a slowly-but-surely deteriorating veneer of strength through years of being a f***ed up "Psy-Ops" guy, he gives the performance that I'll just pretend he won the Oscar for in 94 instead of the Fugitive. It's really among his major performances, certainly one of the ones he should be ed for, creating this man Steve as an engaging, fun, terrifying, wounded, tragic figure in Le Ly's life.I think that if Stone had reeled in some of his crazier stylistic tendencies of the period - he does, mostly, but not enough - and perhaps cut a little out (at 140 minutes it feels too long, mostly near the end, however necessarily in general it may be to complete Le Ly's arc), it would've been a film to stand with the rest of his work for the time. But as far as underrated films from a major director, this is one that is deeply felt and reveals someone who can deliver an experience outside of his usual worldview. At the same time it works as a feminist picture, a story of a woman making her own life on her own , while the spiritual side of things is always there. Though I wanted to like it more, I'd say if you want to finish Stone's oeuvre you won't be disappointed.
praveen77 The third of Oliver Stone's trilogy on the Vietnam war, is also the least known of the three. However, that does not reflect on its quality in any way. I found this as compelling, if not more, a portrait of the effects of war on the human psyche.The story is based on the true life memoirs of Le Ly Hayslip, a woman caught in a Vietnamese village during the Vietnam war, and who later flourished in the US. While, some of the characters may have been fictional, by and large it seems to be a faithful adaptation. The cinematography in the village (supposed to be Vietnam, but I heard is Thailand) is breathtakingly beautiful, and I can only imagine how wonderful it would have been to see this on the big screen.The movie follows the life of Le Ly, as she grows up in a peaceful village in Vietnam, farming with her parents and siblings. Life seems idyllic till the VietCong appear. Their propaganda against the government influences some of the villagers to them. Eventually the government forces come and start taking away villagers for questioning (torture). One such day, Le Ly is taken away. The sequences depicting the torture are pretty graphic and not for the faint of heart. Eventually, after she is released, she makes her way to the city with her mother, and her story continues, eventually ending up with meeting a marine, Steve Butler (Tommy Lee Jones, who makes his appearance after an hour into the movie) and flying to the US.The story quite beautifully captures the effect the war has on different individuals, including an amazing transformation in the character of Steve Butler, as he is tormented in the USA by images of the war and by his own failures afterwards. The acting is very good mostly, including a brilliant turn by Haing S. Ngor, who shot to prominence with his role in 'The Killing Fields'. The story eventually manages to capture the spirit of this lady, who overcame some bitter hardships in life.
Jackson Booth-Millard You could call this the last film in a trilogy of Vietnam films from director Oliver Stone, following Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, except in this one it is based in Vietnamese themselves. Based on a true story, this film tells the story of Le Ly (a great introduction by Hiep Thi Le) and her struggles to find her happiness in her home land, or another. For the first hour of the film it focuses on her rape, an unwanted pregnancy and her Mama (Joan Chen) disgracing her. Then after this time you finally see the main (and probably only big) American soldier (and star) that she would eventually fall in love with, Sergeant Steve Butler (a terrific Tommy Lee Jones). When they eventually move to America, California, they seem to have a good life, even with her attempting to learn the new culture. But it is after many arguments that the relationship seems to crumble, and Steve seems to have turned into a psychotic, oh, and he kills himself after she phones and says she loves him! So returns back to Vietnam with her children, to her Mama and lives the rest of her life in Vietnam, making other lives better. Also starring Haing S. Ngor as Papa, Singin' in the Rain's Debbie Reynolds as Eugenia and an uncredited very quick cameo by Beetle Juice's Jeffrey Jones as a Priest. It won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Kitaro, a very deserved award for such powerful and moving music. Very good!
agent52 A different perspective of war, and very much needed one. This story covers the lives affected by war. The male lead undergoes emotional strain while the female lead contrastingly grows strength from, or perhaps in spite of the war.The movie's subtext is thankfully never handed to you in a Hollywood-direct manner - yet the movie develops it thoroughly for the viewer. This is the most plain statement there is that war is much more than the sides of the conflict, the survivors, the wounded, the dead. And, it makes clear that the trauma caused affects many for a long long time, and for each it is their own journey.Oliver Stone is obviously a master movie maker. He is a great story teller and you are always provided a visual and sound experience like no other. This movie contains some incredibly beautiful shots which all by themselves are worth the viewing. When combined with the plot, the beauty contrasts with the brutatilty to help develop the subtext mentioned above.You might notice I have never said if I like the film. Because the subject matter makes me queasy, uneasy, I don't think I could ever say I like this. But, this is a very powerful film that got under my skin. So, here I am recognizing the movie for its message and method, not necessarily for providing me a Pavlovian reaction seeking more.Instead of plopping in another war DVD, try this one. I bet you will walk away and it will continue to live with you.
