# Beyond Rangoon (1995)

### reviewed by
Pedro Sena

    FILM TITLE:                BEYOND RANGOON
    DIRECTOR:                JOHN BOORMAN
    COUNTRY:                 USA 1995
    CINEMATOGRAPHY:  JOHN SEALE
    MUSIC:                      HANS ZIMMER
    CAST:                        Patricia Arquette, Frances McDormand, Spalding
    Gray, Aung Ko, Victor Slezak, Adelle Lutz

             !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Were it not that we already had seen films like THE KILLING FIELDS, to which this one will always be compared, this would have been considered a good film.

As it is, this film comes off like another one of the same, and its political edge is lost. Had it been done ten to fifteen years ago, it may have been considered a lot better.

This is the story of an American tourist, or visitor, that gets caught up in the political changes in Burma in 1988, when the communist government was taking charge of the country through force. And most of the foreigners were trapped inside and efforts were made to make their life difficult. The leading character, an American, is having problems and is finding it difficult to get out of the country, and with the help of her servants, and their friends, she finally makes it.

Although this film is not as poignant and powerful as the film it copies, it manages to hold its own. It does have some nice acting along the way, Patricia Arquette, probably being the weakest of the lot, but still not bad. As is common in all other John Boorman films, both the music and the cinematography are nicely done, and well designed coupled with odd camera angles to add a larger feeling that something, someone is trying so hard to escape, not only a political situation but a personal one as well, which is the larger issue in this film. Thus it's title.

3 GIBLOONS Reviewed by Pedro Sena. Ygdrasil's Film Newsgroup Copyright (c) Pedro Sena 1996. All Rights Reserved.

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