If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Marlon Brando, young, convincing, natural in everything he does. The story is strictly political, unfortunately. I would have wanted to be a strong love story, not just anti-communist propaganda.If I had to describe Brando musically, I would call him Beethoven of the screen, only him and Gian Maria Volontè (to whom Coppola offered first the title role in The Godfather) they had that unique force, woven with infinite abisal sensitivity. The film is only worth seeing for Brando.

Despite "The Ugly American" being filmed in a fictional Southeast Asian nation, the parallels between this film and Vietnam in the 1960s are quite obvious. It's obviously NOT about this fictional place but is a commentary on the American government's reaction to nationalism and revolution. While this nation was founded as a haven for revolutionaries, by the time the film was made, the policies were generally reactionary--bolstering up ANY government that was seen as keeping the status quo so long as they weren't communists. Yet, like in the case of this fictional land, many revolutions had nothing to do with communism and SHOULD have been welcomed by the US but weren't.This film begins with Marlon Brando playing a new ambassador to the tiny nation of Sarkan. Some of the senators at his confirmation hearing were not impressed--Brand's character appeared to be a political liberal and looked favorably upon the nationalistic movement growing withing Sarkan. After all, the leader was his old and dear friend. However, after assuming the post, both the friend and Brando behave quite stupidly. They should have been friends but very soon become bitter enemies. Brando brands the ex-friend a communist and the friend rushes to the communist camp for assistance.My biggest problem with the film was its pacing. Brando goes from close friend to bitter enemy VERY quickly--too quickly. Things escalate wildly out of control in an interesting manner but it's all just too rushed to be realistic. But, aside from this, the acting is decent and the story quite compelling--especially the film's commentary on the apathetic American public. Clever and insightful, this one probably looks a lot better today in hindsight then it did back in 1963 before the Cold War in Southeast Asia really heated up significantly.

I read the book by the same name and was somewhat disappointed by the startling differences in the two. But I was more disappointed in how they made up the country name. What kind of political change is going to occur with a bogus name like "Sarkan"? Any chance of making a political statement is gone. When I first read the book and watched the film about 15 years ago , I was interested in our country's involvement in the Vietnam war. Now , I am interested in why we were there in the first place. And the lies that surround the answer. If one of the many reasons JFK was killed was his idea "it is their war, they must fight it on their own", then he understood the premise of the Ugly American. I read the book once, but I have watched this movie over and over again.

"The Ugly American" was released right before the Vietnam War started (depending on which stage of it), and now it seems more relevant than ever. Harrison MacWhite (Marlon Brando) becomes ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation of Sarkhan, which is on the verge of civil war between the Communists and the pro-US government. In Sarkhan, MacWhite begins to suspect that US intervention in this country might be prompting people to rebel. While he refuses to accept it, the situation becomes more and more tense, and MacWhite's officially neutral position becomes less and less sustainable.You can't say for certain what the movie's political message is, but we might take MacWhite's speech at the end as a good reminder. Either way, this is one of the many movies that showed how great an actor Marlon Brando was.