Pros And Cons Of The Killing Fields

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2017)

Pros:
1. No review of The Killing Fields is complete without praise for the amazing work of Haing S. Ngor as Dith Pran. What he lacked in official acting training was balanced by a level of sincerity and heartfelt emotion. Sam Waterston may have been nominated for Best Actor and appeared on the cover but Dr. Ngor is the #1 reason the film was so successful. From what I've heard, Dr. Ngor himself witnessed a fair amount of the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia in the 70's. I can definitely see why Dr. Ngor won the Supporting Actor Oscar, though I still say Tom Hulce would have won the 1984 Supporting Actor if Orion hadn't unwisely campaigned him for the Best Actor Oscar.
2. Just as Dr. Ngor is so worthy of praise, the movie deserves praise for shifting focus from the Caucasian perspective to this profoundly more interesting story of Dith Pran's journey to freedom. It's a journey with endlessly fascinating turns like when a Mercedes car logo saves Dith's life or when Dith learns some members of the new government are decent people..
3. While Dr. Ngor is the jewel of the movie, the Cascasian actors are good. Sam Waterston vividly portrays Syndey's flaws (his impatience to get the story out lands him often in trouble) and his good side (he really cares about Dith Pran's struggle). John Malkovich provides some badly needed levity with his speech on oysters or the reporter using chickens to get stories out of Cambodia. I was a fan of the sitcom "Coach" and I enjoyed the work Craig T. Nelson does here (this movie was released a little more than 4 years before Coach debuted on ABC). I also enjoyed the work of Jillian Sands as the blonde British reporter. This and "Room With A View" marked 2 times in 3 years that Sands was in a Best Picture Nominee.
4. Forget about Nightmare On Elm Street or Gremlins, you want good scares in a 1984 film? Watch this movie. It's horrifying enough when a man speaking your language points a gun at you but it's 100 times scarier if you can't understand what he's saying. Dr. Ngor argued with Director Roland Joffe over how soon to reveal the KIlling Fields. I think Joffe was wise to delay the reveal as the build-up made it all the more scarier. No wonder Joffe was Oscar-nominated for Best Director and "The Mission" in 1986 made it 2 Directing nominations in 3 years.
5. The movie won a well-deserved Cinematography Oscar. It shows Cambodia's beauty even at the worst of times. I especially loved the scene with Sydney and Dith Pran that just showed their silhouettes.
6. The film is great at showing the horrors of war and not just on the battlefield. One minute you're at this cafe giving this silly speech about oysters and suddenly this terrifying blast is just far enough away to avoid hurting you. There's also the darkness of the human soul that war causes, like the family that claimed to be the Pran family to get into the Embassy (not that you can blame the impostors for wanting to escape to freedom). Of course there's always the tragedy of war as Dith Pran learns that nobody is ever really too young to die.
7. Best Line Sydney: You forgive me? Dith Pran: Nothing To Forgive , Sydney. Nothing
Cons:
1. Good god how I loathe the scene of Malkovich chewing out Sydney in the Bathroom. Sydney does all he can to get Dith Pran back. He helps out the Pran family as much as he can even though Mrs. Pran has no optimism of any kind. It's not like he is full of himself. He readily admits how important Dith Pran is to his journalistic work. Malkovich, get off your high horse and go F yourself.
2. I'm a little mixed about the "Imagine" scene. I love John Lennon's work but don't use popular music to tell the audience how to feel. It's completely unnecessary because the scene would still be moving even if it was shown in silence.
3. Furthermore, since the film includes John Lennon's "Imagine" and Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band On The Run", I thing they should have completed it with a solo George Harrison song like "What is My Life" and a solo Ringo Starr song like "It Don't Come Easy"