Green Dragon

This film went beyond anything I had ever expected it to be. The acting was incredible, the scenes were moving and the characters memorable and beautiful. I was so happy to see Patrick Swayze back and looking good and of course Forest Whitaker was fabulous. His relationship with the young Mihn was touching. Please, go rent this movie; you won't regret it.

10/10*

Engrossing depiction of the many trials and sorrows of the 1970's Vietnamese reufugees. Forest Whitaker gives a telling performance as a cook who bonds with a Vietnamese boy.

This movie seems to be experiences of various Vietnamese people during the stay in the refugee camp. It has been sentimentalized, casting it as some sort of good old memories. Plus it seems most of the people who made it out are the ones, by whatever circumstances, either having power, connection, money or being in the armed forces. So we get a view biased toward the well to do who favored what we did for them.

The many little stories intertwined together gives an overall concern that most of the Vietnamese had when they first arrived, with a few like the Camp manager/Patrick Swayze character and Kid/Forest Whitaker character thrown in to reflect American's own remorse and problems.

I found that some of the subjects covered to be a bit abrupt, since many of the characters were not introduced, instead were thrown into the action. Like the man with two wives, and the husband and wife with the pictures of their son, who were dragged out of their beds in the middle of the night. Seeing the deleted scenes on the DVD made the characters more rounded and their situations more understanding, allowing us to connect with them better.

Many of the more important subjects seems to be lightly touched upon, and the whole American issue seem to play us out as the savior, as opposed to the aggressor. Even the radio reporting of seem to play to the fear of the well to do Vietnamese since they were the ones being preyed upon during the fall of Saigon, which is not unusual in situations where the oppressed overtakes a imperialist backed government.

Most of the acting were very humanistic, but I found Patrick Swayze a bit too apathetic, never allowing us to believe that he is filled with guilt. A big part is probably his natural facial expression, which does not gear toward the sorrow look.

All in all, still a good movie to see so that we would know what the people experienced when they first came to the US. A little less mush and a little more on the heavy or more controversial topics would have been welcomed.

This story is about tragedy and the uprooting of whole societies. This specific story is a telling of Vietnam, but it could be transferred to many other moments in history. When a people have their whole lives destroyed by war, then how do you start over? We see the various forms that emotions can go through, and how each individual deals with them. Even when everything is gone, you end up with choices. How you handle the worst of times, can determine how you live out the rest of your life. There is not a right answer in most cases, but you have to find a way to continue.

Patrick and Forest are only extras in this movie. They help create the set up for the refugees, who must find a way to begin again. Some want to go back, which is almost impossible as life can never be the same after war. The continual theme throughout this movie is a longing for peace. Emotions are stretched to the end as people search for loved ones, and search for meaning. There is always hope when looking to the future, but the devastation of loss will never be forgotten.

It is a very good telling of how wars affect the survivors. The headlines are written down in the history books, but life is continued on a personal level. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to actually survive, and yet it has happened so many times in the conflicts between cultures.

The intent of the film was good, however, the execution lacked the emotional punch that could have resulted from the storyline. We've seen the subplots before: the angry officer sympathizes with the foreigners, the big misfit befriends a young boy, the rebel in the crowd shouting out against the system..etc.

This is a quiet film and while not that bad, it didn't seem to capture the elements of "camp life" well enough to give me a sense of the refugee's fear of leaving the safe camp and starting a new life in America. There were moments in the film that had potential, but overall, it seemed a dull cinematic experience.

Not much happens in this movie. Go see "Heaven and Earth" instead.