Review of The Killing Fields (1984) by Adam R — 11 Sep 2008
Pol Pot's rule over Cambodia was one of biggest tragedies the world has seen since World War II, and this film is an upsetting, chilling, harrowing reminder. During the brief trip I had there last year, I was amazed at the friendly, positive nature of the people there. When you consider that somewhere in the region of a third of the entire population died under Pol Pot, it's pretty amazing to come across so many people still scarred by the experience, and yet so forward-thinking.
As a film, The Killing Fields seems quite dated, and although that shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, in this case it does detract a little from the overall impact. Some of the editing is a little off, and a couple of the American characters seem quite hammy at times.
Nevertheless, as a documentation of a particularly dark period of history, it's very much worth a place in any DVD collection. Particularly when you consider the sheer number of films about the Vietnam War, and how little there are about the after-effects of that war, leading to the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
This review of The Killing Fields (1984) was written by Adam R on 11 Sep 2008.
The Killing Fields has generally received very positive reviews.
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