An Utterly Powerful Movie!

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2020)

Wow, what a punch to the gut! If you are about to watch The Killing Fields for the first time, be prepared to feel the same way. It is an emotional tale that describes the horror of the Khmer Rouge reign. It is a thought-provoking tale based from the memoirs of a New York Times correspondent. The performances from the cast are excellent, especially from Haing S. Ngor, a doctor who never acted before. This is Roland Joffe's first film as director and he really understood the material. It is not only a movie that describes the horror of war, but it is a tale of friendship, loyalty, and love. David Puttnam, who produced this feature, actually said Joffe was the only man who understood what the film truly meant. Indeed he did, because this film is an emotional gut punch!
As a history major, this time period is actually one I was not all too familiar with. I knew the Cambodian Civil War was in part due to the Khmer Rouge taking over the country. This film taught me how horrible these atrocities they committed. They killed over 17,000 people. They wiped out the intellectual population (such as teachers, doctors, etc). They banned western medicine and books. They wanted to turn Cambodia into an agricultural sector, and thousands starved as a result. In terms of crimes against humanity, this is about as bad as it gets. They were also known for their "Year Zero" policy which outlawed all religion. One of the reasons why the film works because director Joffe, screenwriter Bruce Robinson, and cinematographer Chris Menges worked together effectively to bring these events to the screen. The film looked gorgeous thanks to Menges's exquisite camerawork. But sometimes it also looked brutal especially when we get a peek at the actual killing fields.
The film is based off the eyewitness accounts of New York Times reporter, Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston). He is covering the Civil War in Cambodia along with his intrepid photographer, Al Rockoff (John Malkovich). They team up with local journalist, Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) to cover the brutalities of this genocide. When the American forces evacuate, Pran sends his family with them. He, however, stays behind to help cover the truth of the war. When it is time for Schanberg to leave, Pran is forced to stay behind even with his family in the United States. That does not sit well with Schanberg. He uses all resources at hand to bring Pran to the states and to his family.
Roland Joffe's casting decisions were interesting. He wanted to stay away from the big names which he felt would take away the emotional impact from the movie. Some names may sound familiar like Sam Waterston and John Malkovich, both of them had amazing performances. However, I want to focus on Haing S. Ngor. He won an Academy Award for his supporting performance, which was a very impressive feat. When he signed on for his role, he was a doctor with no acting experience. Furthermore, he actually survived the war that this film is based on. He spent four years at a forced labor camp, but eventually was able to escape to Thailand. He was only one of two nonprofessional actors to ever win an Academy Award. Very impressive feat and well-deserved because he did show amazing chemistry with the rest of the cast. On a side note, this is actually Malkovich's first film role as well. He also did an amazing job!
The Vietnam War and the conflicts in Southeast Asia brought some powerful movies like The Deer Hunter or Apocalypse Now, but this story is a more grounded approach. It is about ordinary people being killed off just for the heck of it. The film threatens to become conventional at times as the story of a man going back into a war-torn nation to save someone dear to him is something that is done often. The Deer Hunter and Uncommon Valor are a few examples. That said, the film then throws that approach out the window when it decides to focus more on the Dith Pran's character. I liked that approach and it added more to the emotional impact.
The Killing Fields is one of the best films of 1984. It is a very powerful film about love and friendship set in the backdrop of a terrifying war. If you do not shed a tear during the movie, you may not be human. The last lines of dialogue wrecked me. Perhaps, Mike Oldfield's score may have helped. The movie hits home the themes of friendship, but also how awful genocide is. This was an important history lesson for me, and I am glad to recommend this movie.
My Grade: A