The Killing Fields

1984
R
2h 21m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

61K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:27

Biography Drama History War

A journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody 'Year Zero' cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million 'undesirable' civilians.A journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody 'Year Zero' cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million 'undesirable' civilians.A journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody 'Year Zero' cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million 'undesirable' civilians.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

61K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,286

520

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 3 Oscars
- 28 wins & 24 nominations total

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Trailer 2:27

The Killing Fields

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The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In real life, Haing S. Ngor's wife died under the Khmer Rouge regime, haemorrhaging during childbirth (the baby also died). She knew that she couldn't contact her husband as doctors were all being murdered by the regime so by keeping her silence and dying of internal bleeding, she effectively saved his life.

Goofs
When Schanberg and Dith visit the city of Neak Leung (which had just been accidentally hit by a B-52 strike) a group of Cambodian National Army operatives rush into town in a jeep. The song "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings is blaring, supposedly from a radio on the jeep. While the scene was to have taken place in May, 1973, the song "Band on the Run" was not released until 1974.

Quotes
[last lines - at their reunion, with warm smiles]
Sydney Schanberg: You forgive me?
Dith Pran: Nothing to forgive, Sydney. Nothing.

Connections
Featured in Omnibus: The Killing Fields (1984)

Soundtracks
Imagine
Written by John Lennon (uncredited)
Performed by John Lennon & The The Plastic Ono Band (uncredited)
Courtesy of EMI Records Limited

User reviews245

Review

Featured review

10/10

All-time, no-holds-barred, 100% favourite

I can't put my finger on exactly what it is about this film that gets to me so much, but it is THE most haunting, emotional film experience... and I've only ever seen it on video.

Excellent performances from Waterston, Ngor and Malkovich. A brilliant score by Mike Oldfield. Scenes of high emotion, tension, drama, horror and even one or two pieces of light relief (well, it has got Australia's Graham Kennedy of comedy fame).

The stand-out scenes for mine are those in the French Embassy; I can never watch the final scene from this sequence with a dry eye.

An excellent film and the soundtrack is not a bad investment either.