Infuriates on several levels

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 1999)

This movie is very disturbing for several reasons. First, its realistic portrayal of the war in Cambodia - focusing on the suffering of civilians, and the incredible horror some would inflict on others.
Second, the rather cold, unsympathetic journalist, Sydney Schanberg (Waterston). Yes, that's what I said. It's not until after winning a Pulitzer Prize for his Cambodian assignment, does he begin to have some real guilt about leaving his friend to suffer. Great timing. He then embarks on a mission to save Dith Pran, but it seems less for his friend than to absolve his own shame.
If you've seen the movie and didn't catch this, please see it again. The events leading up to Schanberg's veneration are anything but compassionate towards the real victims, Dith especially. A journalist who wakes up, conveniently after his ego has been sufficiently nourished, and decides to be a human being for a change. He's lying down in his N.Y apartment listening to opera, but that won't quench his guilt either. It was worth a try though.
Dith's pleading for his life will forever haunt me. Waterston's accurate portrayal of this self-absorbed, blinded-by-the-truth journalist is even more abhorrent.
Minor actor, Spalding Gray, based his entire monologue "Swimming to Cambodia" (1987) on a bit part in the movie. This is the second example of exploitation by the artsy-left crowd. The first is "The Killing Fields", for demonstrating how one can use unfortunate victims to further their careers and come out looking like humanitarians.