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The Quiet American

In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction.

2002 · 1h 41m · R Drama, Romance, Thriller, War
Directed by Phillip Noyce

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Overview

Cynical British journalist Fowler falls in love with a young Vietnamese woman but is dismayed when a naïve U.S. official also begins vying for her attention. In retaliation, Fowler informs the communists that the American is selling arms to their enemy.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
87%
Tomatometer
Fresh

[Caine] gives one of his best performances, whether dissembling a new-found inner steel under questioning or breaking down in the privacy of a toilet.

Derek Adams, Time Out
Fresh

Caine, who also starred in one other Greene adaptation, 1983's The Honorary Consul, is the essence of almost all the author's misfits -- a practiced cynic masking an aching romantic.

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fresh

The Quiet American was filmed in Vietnam and does a wonderful job of conveying a sense of place and time.

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Fresh

For Caine, it's a peak performance in a career that has had many of them.

Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Fresh

It's a political story -- and an uncannily timely one -- yet the politics fade into the background in the wake of Caine's complex and splendid performance.

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

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