Review of The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) by Grant S — 04 Jan 2015
A love story presented as political intrigue.
The Year of Living Dangerously had heaps of potential. It is laced with heaps of political intrigue and touches on themes of government transparency, freedom of the press, fascism and third world problems. Yet, unfortunately, it is mostly just a love story.
The intrigue is there from the start, leaving you thinking this is going to end as some espionage-type thriller, or freedom of the press and expression argument. There's a Killing Fields / Apocalypse Now / Heart of Darkness vibe about the movie which keeps it going.
Yet, all these go nowhere. The climax is relatively anti-climactic, and disappointing.
This said, the journey was reasonably interesting, even if the destination was so-so.
Performances vary. Mel Gibson is solid in the lead role. Signourney Weaver gives a decent performance but I found it difficult to think of her as English.
Linda Hunt got an Oscar for her performance because the Academy thought it would be quirky and historical to give the Best Actress award to a Caucasian woman playing an Asian man. Her performance was okay, but not THAT good. From the start you think "Isn't she a woman?", and that doesn't help the credibility and purpose of the character. Kept making me think we were about to have a (reverse) Crying Game-like moment...
This review of The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) was written by Grant S on 04 Jan 2015.
The Year of Living Dangerously has generally received positive reviews.
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