The Quiet American (2002 film)

The Quiet American
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPhillip Noyce
Written byChristopher Hampton
Robert Schenkkan
Based onThe Quiet American
by Graham Greene
Produced byStaffan Ahrenberg
William Horberg
StarringMichael Caine
Brendan Fraser
Do Thi Hai Yen
CinematographyChristopher Doyle
Edited byJohn Scott
Music byCraig Armstrong
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release dates
  • September 9, 2002 (2002-09-09) (TIFF)
  • November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22) (United States)
  • May 22, 2003 (2003-05-22) (Germany)
Running time
101 minutes
CountriesGermany
United States
United Kingdom
France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million
Box office$27.7 million

The Quiet American is a 2002 political drama film directed by Phillip Noyce, and stars Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, and Do Thi Hai Yen. The screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan is adapted from Graham Greene's bestselling 1955 novel of the same name set in Vietnam.

In contrast to the prior 1958 film version, which abandoned Greene's cautionary tale about foreign intervention in favor of anticommunist advocacy of American power, the 2002 film is faithful to the source novel, illustrating the moral culpability of American agents in arranging terrorist actions aimed at the French colonial government and the Viet Minh. Going beyond Greene's original work, the film utilizes a montage ending with superimposed images of American soldiers from the intervening decades of the Vietnam War.

Miramax paid $5.5 million for distribution rights in North America and some other territories, but the film was shelved after test audiences perceived it as unpatriotic in the wake of the September 11 attacks.[1] The film finally received an Oscar qualification release in November 2002 and went on to gross US$12.9 million in limited theatrical release in the United States. The film received positive reviews from critics and Caine was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

  1. ^ Thompson, Anne (17 October 2002). "Films With War Themes Are Victims of Bad Timing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012.