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The Hanoi Hilton (1987)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 2/25

2/25: I'm sure what took place at Hỏa Lò Prison was horrific, but this review of The Hanoi Hilton isn't about that.

Lionel Chetwynd isn't a familiar name to me as a director, but he has done plenty of writing, especially of the historical drama kind. His trouble here is there's no emotional core. Take The Blockhouse. Although the story was fictional, I could feel it through the characters' desperate struggle to survive the conditions imposed on them. But The Hanoi Hilton is "yeah...the situation sucks" in a Michael Moriarty way, and the prison commander ironically ends up having the most developed character of anyone when this is supposed to be about the POWs.

As a result, the performances never feel believable and are rather superficial. The reality is much worse than what's shown in the film including murder; physical beatings; electric shocks; broken bones, teeth, and eardrums; dislocated limbs; starvation; contamination of food with human and animal feces; and purposeful untreatment of infections and tropical diseases. Understandably, this is meant to be a payback for what the French did to the Vietnamese prisoners prior to taking over the prison.

The famous woman in the film is obviously Jane Fonda who drew ire from soldiers and veterans alike for her traitorous actions, hence the nickname "Hanoi Jane." Those interviewed were forced to lie about being treated well and not having been tortured once. To this day, Americans in general have completely forgotten about the war and what happened at Hỏa Lò Prison which explains the film's obscurity.

All in all, had Lionel Chetwynd gone to the max along with a strong screenplay, there's no question that The Hanoi Hilton would be an unforgettable film.

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