Product Description

Vietnamese refugees stay in a refugee camp near Camp Pendleton, California until they can find sponsors and be assimilated into American culture.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22736 in DVD
• Brand: SWAYZE,PATRICK
• Released on: 2002-09-10
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com
A little-known aspect of America's Vietnam War debacle--life in the temporary camps set up in the States for the thousands of refugees who came here after the fall of Saigon in 1975--is the subject of this 113-minute film, released in 2001. Director-cowriter Timothy Linh Bui and his brother, writer-producer Tony Bui, have made a movie that's obviously very sympathetic to its Vietnamese characters; Green Dragon is also apparently quite realistic, and refreshingly lacking in excessive sentimentality. Much of it is in Vietnamese (with English subtitles, of course); indeed, one senses that nominal top-liners Patrick Swayze and the always-reliable Forest Whitaker are on hand more for their star power than for the importance of their roles. In the end, this is a good story that's rather well told. The DVD is packed with extras, including director commentary, deleted scenes, trailers, and a behind-the-scenes documentary. --Sam Graham

From the Back Cover
In 1975, refuge camps were set up across the deserts of the United States to house an exodus of over 100,000 Vietnamese immigrants before and immediately after the fall of Saigon. When Tai (Don Duong) arrives at Camp Pendleton, he is confronted by a camp filled with despair. Jim Lance (Patrick Swayze) is the Marine in charge of housing the refugees until sponsors can be found to help them assimilate into American life. Lance quickly commissions Tai, who speaks English, to translate for him. Prepare to embark on a remarkable journey as an unlikely bond of friendship is formed between two men from opposite sides of one of the world's most infamous and bloodiest wars.

Customer Reviews

2 THUMBS UP....ABSOLUTE MUST-SEE!!!!
As the first story ever told on big screen of the antecedent Vietnamese refugees to arrive in the U.S right before the official fall of Saigon, director and script writer, Timothy Linh Bui, depicts the utmost astonishing insights from these refugees' perspective of the aftermath of the Vietnam war: innumerable lives lost, both American and Vietnamese, and families' grievances; the refugees' uncertainty and fear of separation from each other in foreign land, of what the dim future could hold; the struggle with humility as even former doctors and lawyers need to adjust and start all over with lowly manual labor jobs; with hope and determination and family as the only remaining possessions they had to rebuild everything in this new, foreign land.....A movie with different insights that almost any generation or age group can relate to.

Brilliant and Moving
I passed up this movie several times at the video store. Something about the generic title and Patrick Swayze's big mug gracing the cover. I had no idea what I was missing. "Green Dragon" brings to light a piece of lost history--the internment camps of Vietnamese refugees following the Vietnam war. Through the film we meet a variety of characters and their developing relationships with one another. 3 things really make this picture work: the wonderful perfomances, the stunning photography, and the direction from the Bui brothers. Tony and Timothy Bui previously made another wonderful picture called "Three Seasons." "Green Dragon" is as good, if not better. They love these characters, and that's what makes the movie so fulfilling. Extra features on the DVD include an audio commentary, Documentary, 3 trailers (Crouching Tiger, Beijing Bicycle, and Vertical Ray of the Sun), and an essay on the cinematography. If not to own, "Green Dragon" is an absolute must-see for great drama.

I applaud the authenticity of this Vietnamese refugee story
This 2001 film is set in 1975, at Camp Pendleton in California. This is where Vietnamese refugees were processed after fleeing the aftermath of the American pullout in Vietnam. The place is crowded, emotions are high, and there are multiple individual stories. Written and directed by the Bui brothers, who came to America as babies in the 1970s and there's an authenticity to the film that goes deeper than the surface tales. 1975 seems a long time gone now, but this film brings it all to life as the refuges live in this shadow world between Vietnam and America for several weeks or months. As background, we hear frequent news broadcasts about the situation in Vietnam and the fall of Saigon. It gave me the shivers.

The basic storyline casts Don Duong as an uncle who has escaped with his small niece and nephew. The children believe that their mother will join them soon but it is likely she has not escaped. Trung Hieu Nguyan is cast as the small boy with big wide eyes who discovers Mighty Mouse comic books. He is befriended by Forest Whitaker, cast as a volunteer cook at the camp and who teaches the youngster some valuable lessons in life. Patrick Swayze is the camp commander whose job seems impossible at times. To some, he represents the ugly Americans who caused all the trouble in the first place.

Most of the stories play like a soap opera and the entire film moved much too slowly for my taste. However, it really didn't matter that this film will never win any academy awards. I applaud it for bringing a long-gone time and a place to life. And for raising my own consciousness about the Vietnamese people who made the long journey to America. This is a sad movie and I found myself depressed afterwards. But I know I'll never forget it.