Whenever there is war ongoing somewhere in the world, there is always media there to cover the stories. However, the media never tells the "real" stories; they only tell the stories that the governments want us to hear. We never see the bloody truth, we never learn of the so-called "accidents." Such is the case in the film The Killign Fields.
This film brings us a side of the Vietnam War that was never fully taken in by the American people. Durning the latter stages of the Vietnam War, the Americans decided to "bomb" the country of Cambodia, at that time going through a bloody revolution, a "Coup de Tat" if you will, not unlike the one in nazi Germany.
Cambodia, under the khmer rouge government led by pol pot, is going through an "ethnic cleansing" campaign where some 2,000,000 (!) people have been ruthlessly slaughtered.
Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston), is a New York Times journalist who is covering the bloody civil war in Cambodia, in south east Asia. Together, with a local representative named Dith Pran, they cover some of the tragedy, madness, and horrors of the war. When American forces leave the area, after having dropped many a bomb on the unsuspecting civilians, Dith Pran sends his family with them. Pran stays behind to help Schanberg cover the event.
Pran and Scanberg a captured many times, imprisoned, and held at gun point; one wrong move and they could be blasted to death. Bu they never are.
Eventually, the pair make it to a British embassy where they are going to be air-lifted out. The only problem is is that Pran's passport won't allow him out of the country. Schanberg escapes, but looses a good friend who cannot escape the horror of Cambodia.
The film could have ended with Schanberg leaving and we not knowing what ever happened to Dith Pran. But yes, we do find out what happened to him.
Schanberg returns to New York and even wins a journalist-of-the-year award. However, he still feels major guilt at not being able to rescue his good friend from Cambodia.
Pran is sent to a slave labour camp which is under the direction of the so-called khmer rouge government. One night he escapes, only to make it to another slave labour camp, inwhich he is not treated like a slave, but rather as a butler-esque helper.
From here, he is secretly given a map and money to make his esacpe to a red-cross hospital, where he may be able to get help and finally make it to the United States.
Director Roland Joffé was robbed of an Oscar as this is a crowning achievement in cinema history.
The Killing Fields is horrifyingly powerful. It is the kind of movie that one can never forget; it is so visually intense that you will be sick to your stomach after viewing it.
I can't belive I originally docked The Killing Fields for sound! I mean, this is one of the top three best films of the 1980's. It deserves all the accolades it can get. In my opinion, it is on the lines of Born on the Fourth of July as one of the top movies of that decade. Therefore, I have re-rated The Killing Fields accordingly.
05-06-04
Plot: 
Although not a "Vietnam" movie, it is a war film and it is absolutly indescribaly excellent. Horrifying, yet beautiful.
Visual Effects:
Stunning cinematography, and the visuals - like the dead bodies Pran walks through, and the man getting shot in the head - are to powerful for words.
Sound:
The score is excelent and moving.
Character Development:
Atmosphere:
You will be sucked in by the violence; the only time you'll be able to look away is when you vomit after watching the horrible brutality.
Realism:
This is one of the most "un-hollywioodized" war films made to date, along the ranks of Saving Private Ryan and Born on the Fourth of July.
Warren’s Rating:
Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture:
*Amadeus, (1984); A Passage to India, (1984); Places in the Heart, (1984); A Soldier's Story, (1984)
10/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
15-11-03
Age at win: 43
Nominated for: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Dith Pran, The Killing Fields
Nomination: 1/1 (acting), 1/1 (total); Win: Only
Haing Ngor is amazing as Dith Pran in The Killing Fields. He brings to the role an authenticity of having actually suffered the same horrors as the man he is playing. Having lived in Cambodia, he knew how to play the role true to life; and he did an excellent job. Who better than an actual survivor to play a survivor?
Ngor act with passion; with spirit; almost as if he is trying to right the wrongs done by the khmer rouge himself. You can see the passion in his eyes in every scene he is in.
It is sad to note that Dr. Ngor, on February 25, 1996, was found shot to death in the garage of his apartment building in Los Angeles. Relatives and friends speculated that the killing was revenge for his stead-fast opposition to the khmer rouge.
15-11-03
