Review of The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) by Dave J — 29 Jan 2010

(1983) The Year of Living Dangerously.

I'm not going to submit a synopsis but will say that it's an excellent "adult" oriented drama film for anyone who craves classic pulp dramas of the 30's and 40s. Even the original poster (not this DVD version) is like an old Chandler 'Dell' novel when it really isn't, the original poster upon its release was supposed to be a somewhat of a water coloured poster of Mel Gibson holding a cigarette which looks so cool and a young Sigourney Weaver on the top corner. But by relying on my memory, the first time I saw this film directed by Peter Weir, I couldn't believe that movies of this magnitude was still being made today, watching this reminded me of the old tough and stubborn Bogart films I used to admire with alot of that smoke that goes around, like for example in "The Year of Living Dangerously" Mel taps his cigarette a few times on to a table before lighting it on to his mouth, which Bogart had never done before who is also a frequent smoker in his films. And to those who are too sensitive about smoking in films should not watch this film at all, for the first time I had seen this film never encouraged me to do anything except to be fixated at what I saw. Instead of watching a Chandler mystery, the story focuses on the politics within' the Cambodian government which is in my opinion poses only a backdrop from the chemistry amongst the cast since they can't do much to change things within the system anyway especially when you're dealing with something as powerful as the government. The chemistry especially between Linda Hunt(who had won an Oscar for her role) and the chain smoking Mel Gibson was one of the highlights. And the chemistry between the Mel Gibson character and Sigourney Weavers was almost like watching a Bogart and Becall in 'To Have and Have Not'. This is nothing like what it used to be anymore but at least there are still some like it I can always go back on.

4/4.