But even before Americans got involved, the Vietnamese were fighting the French for independence. And it was Ho Chi Minh and the Communists who were actively doing the fighting.
It was the early 1950s though, years before the Americans got involved.
Or was it?
This film answers that question.
And yet, there is a lot more to the story than just the politics.
It is about an aging British journalist, played by Michael Caine. He's been in Vietnam for years and loves it. He has a wife somewhere in England who he hasn't seen in years and will not divorce him. And he has a gorgeous young Vietnamese woman, Do Hai Yen, who he's been living with for several years. The arrangement works for both of them.
But things change. A quiet American, played by Brendan Fraser enters the picture. He says he's an aid worker. And he befriends Michael Caine.
But what is the American's REAL purpose in Vietnam? Questions start to surface. Especially when the American declares his love for Caine's woman.
In the meantime a war is going on. Caine and Fraser almost get killed. And then there is a horrible explosion in the middle of the city.
There's death all around. And love. And a sense of place so well captured by the director, Phillip Noyce, that I could almost feel the Vietnam of the 1950's all around me.
The story moved fast, and the plot revealed details that changed the reality of what things seemed at first. And it was all done so well that all I could do was sit there, watch the screen, and let it all unfold.
The film was supposed to be released in September 2001, shortly after 9/11. However, the filmmakers chose to hold on to it until 2002. When you see it, the reason will become startlingly clear.
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