The Quiet American

Michael Caine's masterful performance has earned him his third Best Actor Oscar Nomination. Playing against him brings out the best in Brendan Fraser for this smart and seductive film. In 1952, cynical London Times correspondent Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine) has been enjoying his time in Vietnam writing insignificant articles and enjoying the pleasures of his young Vietnamese mistress Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen). But when a young and handsome do-gooder named Pyle (Brendan Fraser) arrives, competition over who would be better to take care of Phuong causes intense conflict. Meanwhile, Fowler's investigation into the violent acts of a Vietnamese third political party keeps bringing him in contact with the elusive American ... who is connected more deeply than Fowler may have ever dared to imagine.