On Y List of Movie Reviews

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The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 5/16

5/16: The Year of Living Dangerously, which is an ambitious title, seemed like it was going to be a terrific film with something meaningful to say, but that's not the case.

Basically, it's about Mel Gibson being adorable Mel at the peak of his physical beauty. The same can be said for Sigourney Weaver, too. Because I love their chemistry, it should be the basis of the film. However, I've been distracted from trying to follow the intended theme. As a result, Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver are miscast.

It's good thing Roland Joffé came up with The Killing Fields two years later to make up for what The Year of Living Dangerously was supposed to be. That's why the latter is a forgotten picture. If anything, Linda Hunt, a female mind you, won the Oscar by playing a male character which is unprecedented, and she's also the first without revealing to anyone in the film that her character is a "she." In other words, Linda Hunt played a male character for the sake of it.

I actually had to look up the internet about five minutes after the initial sight of Billy because of his strange facial appearance. That being said, I wish Mel Gibson would blatantly ask him, "Are you sure you have a penis? Then, let me see it." To be honest with you, I don't think Linda Hunt deserved the win although she looks convincing as Billy Kwan the whitewashed Indonesian dwarf. Magic appears whenever she flashes her toothy grin. But let's be real: Billy became less effective over time, adding little value to the film.

All in all, The Year of Living Dangerously has no sense of a direction, lacks substance, and is riddled with paper-thin characters.

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