On H List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)

---

Heaven & Earth (1993)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 5/25

5/25: Heaven & Earth is the final film for me to see from Oliver Stone during the 80's and 90's.

Obviously, it's not among his best stuff. The biggest issue is the unevenness, whether it be the performances or the storytelling. The first thirty minutes feels either choppy or rushed, but the movie gets better afterwards before experiencing the same problem again when the location switches to the United States.

Oliver Stone may have packed too much material, causing me to feel overwhelmed at times. I suppose the central message is Vietnam sucks. First, Platoon gave that perspective. Now, Heaven & Earth presents the other side of it. Certainly, Le Ly Hayslip went through a lot. What bothers me about her is speaking perfect English instead of Vietnamese and then broken English after meeting Americans for the first time.

This is Hiep Thi Le's film, so don't be misled by the top billing given to Tommy Lee Jones. It's merely for the purpose of luring potential viewers by star power, but he did come alive during the second half, showing a sign of what to expect in Natural Born Killers. As for Hiep Thi Le, she gives her best effort and has thus done well in spite of turning in zero acting work beforehand. I just wish she was aged in accordance with the passage of time. In 2017, Hiep Thi Le surprisingly died of stomach cancer at age 46.

All in all, Heaven & Earth tells a respectful story of one Vietnamese woman's survival, and those who went through exactly the same thing will understand and relate to it very well.

---