Heaven & Earth Reviews

Oliver Stone's Heaven & Earth completes his "Vietnam Trilogy" by examining the conflict through a Vietnamese woman, a woman who later marries a US solider and moves away. It's not as compelling on an emotional level as his other two (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July), as it seems to tackle too many themes, and doesn't have a completely focused message. The initial set-up is especially by-the-numbers and familiar, until Tommy Lee Jones's character is introduced, from that point the story takes on a much more interesting direction, with some excellent exchanges by the two actors. Hiep Thi Le's performance is also noteworthy, with a very expressive face that conveys a great deal of emotion. Uneven, but ultimately solid.

3.5/5 Stars

Pretty flat and weak. I think Stone was afraid to take risks with this picture since he is dealing with a touchy subject particularly Vietnam. The performances is mediocre and easily forgettable. Hiep Te Li tried her best as Ly Li Hayslip but fails. If anything good is to come of this it would have to be the cinematography handled expertly by Robert Richardson.

A much different perspective on the Vietnam War than I'm used to seeing. I appreciated it, but don't know if I would watch the movie again.

A great film!

I remember this movie! Moving and touching at the same time! I can't even count how many times I've watched this; it's been just that many times!

It reflects the real Vietnamese society and the American attitude toward the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.

THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE ,TOMMY LEE JONES MADE IT WORTH WATCHING AND ITS A TRUE STORY WHICH PUTS IT OVER THE TOP

Oliver Stone did an excellent job with this film. I don't think there could have been a better actor than Tommy Lee Jones to play the role of Major Steve Butler. Stone creates a powerful tale of the devastation of the Vietnam War. Truly inspiring.

Oliver Stone's Heaven & Earth completes his "Vietnam Trilogy" by examining the conflict through a Vietnamese woman, a woman who later marries a US solider and moves away. It's not as compelling on an emotional level as his other two (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July), as it seems to tackle too many themes, and doesn't have a completely focused message. The initial set-up is especially by-the-numbers and familiar, until Tommy Lee Jones's character is introduced, from that point the story takes on a much more interesting direction, with some excellent exchanges by the two actors. Hiep Thi Le's performance is also noteworthy, with a very expressive face that conveys a great deal of emotion. Uneven, but ultimately solid.

3.5/5 Stars

Its well made with great cinematography and a powerful score but the plot is a little thick and jumbled together.

This movie is exceptional and epic! I remember watching it as a kid. I give this movie 5 star because it hits home... my personal experience as a Vietnamese refugee, and the stories of my parents... the close depiction of Vietnam--the culture, the people... beyond stereotypes, Oliver Stone makes a moving, heartfelt, heart-wrenching, and dense movie that is truly beautiful!! I will remember it for a lifetime... <3

Pretty average. Not Oliver Stone's best.

Too long! Boring! I couldn't care less about the main character and her little "problems"! Yet more of Oliver Stone's anti-American tripe! Was that guy actually in Vietnam during the war? Whose side did he fight for?

Loses me by the time Tommy Lee shows up. Another Stone yawner.

Pretty flat and weak. I think Stone was afraid to take risks with this picture since he is dealing with a touchy subject particularly Vietnam. The performances is mediocre and easily forgettable. Hiep Te Li tried her best as Ly Li Hayslip but fails. If anything good is to come of this it would have to be the cinematography handled expertly by Robert Richardson.

One of the saddest true stories ever. The terrible events that a vietnam girl has to go through makes a one time movie to see because of devastating the things she had to go through were. A great story though of how two people from different countries can be a hard relationship by what they have gone through.

I didn't find it to be a very engaging film, but the fact that it was based on a true story made it all the more interesting.

The acting wasn't that great, but the story was touching, and very dark. It has a couple of graphic moments, but the movie is actually good and deserves at least a rental.

The third in Mr. Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy. I still think Platoon is his best Nam film. Next, it would be a toss up between this and Born on the Fourth of July. July is too depressing and just plain old pessimistic to be that enjoyable even though it's an amazing movie and this film is somewhat similar in tone. Heaven and Earth has its share of unhappy scenes that are unpleasant to watch (family disputes, rape), but in its own way, it's a celebration of an astounding life.

I don't think I've seen a movie that has come off feeling like a book more so than Heaven and Earth and I mean that as a compliment. The film is based off of two memoirs by Le Ly Hayslip. The film reminded me of two other memoirs set in foreign lands: So Far From the Bamboo Grove and When I Was Puerto Rican, two great books. Those books and this film follow young heroines that battle hardship and adversity.

One thing I didn't like about this movie, and it was the fault of the marketing and not the actual film is the fact that Tommy Lee Jones was top billed. Jones didn't appear in the movie until about an hour and a half into the film and he had a grand total of like 30 minutes on screen. Granted his character was important, but Joan "not Julie" Chen was the real star in this film.

She played the aforementioned Le Ly Hayslip, a girl that grew up in war-torn Vietnam. She was tortured and interrogated by both the Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong as both groups wrongly suspected her of being a spy. She was separated from her family, electrocuted, had bugs and snakes going after when she was defenseless (squeamish scene), and was raped. Life in the country/war heavy side of Vietnam was too brutal for her, so she escaped to the city side of Vietnam where she depended on selling goods to make money and survive. She was not too successful and ended up unwillingly getting pulled into the seedy prostitution world that outbursted when American soldiers needed sex. She did meet the Tommy Lee Jones and that moved her life in a new direction.

This definitely feels and looks like an Oliver stone movie with Vietnam as the setting and Stone's patented quick cuts and black and white effects in dream sequences. The movie is effective in it portrayal of how brutal Vietnam was before the war broke out and what the war meant to bystanders. It was an informative movie with lots of knowledge. It's also more of an emotional film than Stone's other works of cinematic brilliance. It's also a first for Oliver Stone in that the main character was female, almost like what Tarantino did with Jackie Brown.

The movie is a lot more gentler and personal than Stone's other work. The weakest part of the film was the narrative, which was difficult since the film was based on two sets of memoirs so it's difficult to choose what goes in the film and what gets left on the cutting room floor. Some events just went too fast or went unnoticed and the last 40 minutes felt out of place, but hey, the film makers had to put most of a woman's life on the screen in 2 hours and change, not an easy task.

The film lost my interest at times, but largely, it's an impressive film that works as a powerful form of edutainment. Oliver Stone made a noble film about the side of the Vietnam saga that not many people know about.

If i where to have my life story Made into a movie I would use this director He painted the clearest picture of this womans life .. I Felt like I had walked beside her In This and felt her shame and sorrows.. Even though My life don't come close to this I felt as if I Related to her hardships Beautifull Work This is art In Its Purest Form !!