A story of friendship, courage and the indomitable human spirit

Rating: 8/10 (11 May 2008)

The film's central pivot is the friendship between New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) and Cambodian photojournalist Dith Pran (Dr. Haing S. Ngor) but the film really takes off when these individuals are separated in the wake of the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror. Schanberg is practically powerless to aid his friend, who faces a perilous task in escaping Cambodia's Killing Fields.
The direction by Roland Joffé along with the Oscar-winning cinematography by Chris Menges bring the story to vivid life. The latter portion of the film, taking place for the most part in the Cambodian countryside is particularly breathtaking. Mike Oldfield's score, on the other hand, is not always successful and sometimes exudes a typical eighties gloss. There are a few times when the music distracts but, thankfully, those instances are the exception rather than the rule.
Waterston and Ngor's portrayal of the two principle characters is convincing and the supporting cast isn't too bad either. Ngor won an Oscar for his role, doing so with a performance based mostly on nuance. The ending sequence, featuring John Lennon's "Imagine", is particularly touching though now bitterly ironic given Ngor's murder a dozen years after this film.
This is a compelling story of hope in the face of tyranny. Sadly, despite the optimism of this film I'm sure that we'll see enough bloodshed to supply many more true stories of this ilk.