The Best film I hope to never see again.

Rating: 10/10 (11 October 2001)

I saw this film as a kid at the theater. I was not prepared for the impact the film would have on me. I'd never heard such silence in a a theater as prevailed during this one. It was as if everyone, myself included, were afraid to even breath. Except in the parts where we all wept. I don't know if the silence or the weeping was worse.
This is a true story that documents what happened to people who didn't get out of Viet Nam when the last military troops pulled out and went home. It centers around an American journalist and his native Vietnamese assistant who were covering the war. The American gets out right away, but his assistant has to hang on against impossible, horrifying obstacles to finally gain his freedom. The film was artfully made and each actor portrayed their part to the "nth" degree. This was the most haunting, gut wrenching movie I've ever seen - probably due to the fact that it was true and these horrid things actually happened.
I give this film a rating of 10. It is graphic and harrowing, but it tells an important story and tells it extremely well.