Roland Joffe's The Killing Fields, is one of those movies you just need to see. It's in the same category as Mori Masaki's Barefoot Gen, meaning it is a historical film that is in your face and graphic. In my opinion, brutal, graphic and in your face filmmaking is the way to get your point across. Some cons to this style of filmmaking (in my opinion mind you), is that people may not watch that movie. Why Killing Fields is a vital movie to see is because of it's historical significance and spectacular production.
This film is set in 1973 during the Vietnam War. During this time Cambodia was a neutral country but faced its own share of issues, a group called the Khemer Rouge. A supposed "revolutionary" group whose goal is to pretty much mess crap up. In the beginning of the film they have no clear goals except to terrify the main characters and the viewers.
The first act opens by introducing our protagonists, a journalist for the New York Times Sydney Schanberg and his interpreter Dirth Pran. The two of them are in Phenom Penh (I believe) and Sydney has just arrived in Phenom Penh and is furious because his flight was delayed. He heard a rumor that a nearby village was "accidentally" bombed by the Americans. A few scenes in the first act consists of hardcore journalism where Sydney and Pran are literally charging into warzones to get pictures (holy crap). My only gripe with the first act is that Sydney is absolutely insufferable! There is a scene where the Khmer Rouge is in the ruins of the bombed village and they are about to execute some villagers just because they're the guys with the guns. Sydney (being the idiot that he is at this point) insists on taking pictures! When the Khmer soldiers said "no camera" Sydney's companions, Al Rockoff (a minor character), and Pran give up their cameras. Sydney tries to explain that his camera has no film my argument is who cares? You listen to the guys with the guns!
Sydney wises up shortly after this as they're captured. Sydney realizes just how much sh*t he's in. The scene that follows is very graphic at some points and very dramatic. What I love about this movie is the music. There are some scenes that have a sense of chaos, and the music helps add to that. The music in these scenes sounds like deranged circus music. If the clown that stalked your nightmares decided to record his own theme music it would sound something like the soundtrack to this movie. Alternatively the music also takes a different approach. In the third act of the movie, the music alternates between classical music and dramatic music, all in the same scene.
In addition to giving insight to the bloodshed and terror in Cambodia, the movie chooses to focus on the relationship between Sydney and Pran. The two characters have very good chemistry together, since Pran is able to speak Kamir (the native language of Cambodia), he was able to get Sydney and company out of multiple sticky situations. The first half of the film concludes with Sydney, Pran, Rockoff, and John Swain (another minor characters) taking refuge at the French Embassy. The embassy was organizing an evacuation to Thailand which was a neutral country and thus safe. In order to leave the country, the men needed passports. Everyone had a passport except for Pran. In a group effort between Rockoff and Swain, they successfully find a camera, film, and darkroom to produce a picture of Pran. Pran did not have a picture of himself as his possessions were all taken away from him. The two men successfully produce a picture of Pran, change the name and photo of a fake passport (which they already had) and they're in the clear right? Not quite, all the passports clear except for Pran because the picture faded :( The other men evacuate to Thailand leaving Pran behind.
The film then cuts to 1976 where Sydney seems to have dedicated the better of 3 whole years looking for Pran upon returning to the US. Sadly, he has no avail. Meanwhile Pran is still in Cambodia under control of Angka. Angka is essentially the dictionary definition of a cult. Khmer Rouge evolved into the religion/cult called Angka. People who follow Angka (whatever he/she/it is, it isn't explained) believe that anyone who has memory of Cambodia before the "revolution" should be killed. That is exactly what they did. This whole movement can be summed up in Pran's chilling quote "only the silent survive".
The better half of the movie turns into a full fledged survival film. Pran tries to imitate Solid Snake's antics by concealing himself in water and grass. He manages to escape his holding camp and makes his way along. This part of the movie features some very disturbing imagery. At one point he stumbles into a trench that is actually partially made of human remains. Pran collapses from exhaustion (and probably shock). He wakes up and is picked up by some followers of Angka. He later learns that these people do not actually follow Angka and they support Pran. Pran adopts one of the soldier's children. Long story short, the end is pretty sad. All of the minor characters that you're introduced to at the end die one by one. The movie ends on a happy note with Sydney and Pran reuniting with dramatic happy music playing. (YAY!!!) This movie is great, it's sad though, if you're ready to learn a little something about history and maybe cry a little, this is the movie for you. 4 out of 5 stars.
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