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Adapted from Graham Greenes 1955 novel of the same title, The Quiet American is a story set in Vietnam in the 1950s. Michael Caine plays Thomas Fowler, an old, cynical British reporter. Brendan Fraser strikes the right balance as an American CIA officer with the conviction that the end justifies the means. Both men jostle each other for the love of a young Vietnamese girl, Phuong. Very little is revealed about how Phuong really feels, and romance-wise I think the film doesnt beg for the audiences sympathy because both men desire Phuong out of their own inadequacy; the relationship seems like a one-way street. Pyle believes he and the U.S. could save Phuong and her country and pleas for Fowler to see the "big picture." Fowler is aging and seems no longer able to extract himself from Phuong. The film, in the end, is not really about the girl, it is about how these two men interact with each other and with her and how the interaction gives us a glimpse into their inner psyche.
　　
　　The last scene with both Fowler and Pyle contains the films strong political message. And because of the sensitivity of the message, the release of the film, which was supposed to be in 2001, was postponed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Some call the film "anti-American." I certainly dont think it is and the word "anti-American" is really misused, deliberately or not, by todays media and politicians.
　　
　　The film is directed by Phillip Noyce, an Australian, whose previous work, "Rabbit-Proof Fence," is also a great work dealing with a controversial subject. Both films explore and question the morality, motives, and the human dimension of events in our history that still deserve our attention and reassessment.