Although released in 2002 it was nice to see this interesting film starring Michael Caine and Brenden Fraser shown on BBC1 on Tuesday evening. I do like a good spy thriller and this one set in the sweaty climes of 1950’s Vietnam with all it’s vivid tastes and smells, was a visual beauty. Caine plays a great role as Thomas Fowler a journalist for the London Times. Brilliant director Philip Noyce sets the scene well, showing the real but cloying possessive love that Fowler felt for his very beautiful fragile Vietnamese girlfriend Phung (Hai Yen). Stunning muted scenes, shot so well, give the viewer a real feel for the dissolution and somewhat shabby life Fowler lived during these trouble times. It was politically complex with a wonderful worked plot but for me the love triangle between Fowler, Pyle and Phung carried the film. Yes it’s four years old but certainly worth a watch, if you did not see it first time round.
