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Movies / On DVD / Beyond Rangoon
Beyond Rangoon

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Beyond Rangoon (1995)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:11

Rotten:18

Average Rating:5.2/10

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Director John Boorman's film, inspired by the crackdown of the Burmese military during the late 1980s, stars Patricia Arquette as Laura Bowman, an American doctor. After the violent death of her... Director John Boorman's film, inspired by the crackdown of the Burmese military during the late 1980s, stars Patricia Arquette as Laura Bowman, an American doctor. After the violent death of her husband and child, Laura joins her sister, Andy (Frances McDormand), on a tour of Southeast Asia, hoping that a trip might be therapeutic. While the sisters are in Burma, the demonstrations of political dissidents become violent, and although her sister is able to depart, Laura must stay behind, having lost her passport. After seeking help at the American embassy, she encounters a former college professor, now a dissident supporter, who asks her to help him in eluding the police, an action that she knows will place her in jeopardy. In return, he offers to lead her out of the country across the Thai border. At a train station, he introduces her to a group of rebel students, one of whom is killed when government troops open fire on the crowd. Laura, whose aversion to blood has led her to contemplate leaving her profession, overcomes her problem when her teacher himself is shot and only she can save him. The well-acted film features impressive nature photography by John Seale. [More]

Starring: Patricia Arquette, Adele Lutz, Frances McDormand, Spalding Gray

Starring: Patricia Arquette, Adele Lutz, Frances McDormand, Spalding Gray

Director: John Boorman

Director: John Boorman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Beyond Rangoon

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A rare film, one that is intelligent, emotional and exciting.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Caryn James
Caryn James
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A Very powerful film, with a slew of great performances

comment Comment
09/17/02
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

An exotic adventure story with a political conscience

comment Comment
06/15/07
Douglas Pratt
Douglas Pratt
DVDLaser

About an American doctor in Burma who discovers the wild woman inside as she squares off against incredible physical and mental challenges.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/28/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Besides being an intelligent and gripping thriller with a solid grounding in real, recent historical events, Beyond Rangoon also gives movie-goers a rare opportunity to watch a female hero.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

It's fascinating and rewarding to watch [Arquette] evolve, with much credibility, from her own personal state of immaturity to a state of full growth.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Arquette's central character makes several rather stupid decisions along the way, but the drama of the political events unfolding around her compensates for it.

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

No review available.

comment Comment
04/08/05
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

This is a perennial favorite because of the scenery (it's set in Burma, shot in Malaysia), because of the strong heroine, and because of the mix of politics and adventure.

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
08/21/02
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

Because the film is well acted and directed, and the Malaysian locations are exotic and seductive, I got involved even though the story ... was so clearly concocted.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Alison Macor
Alison Macor
Austin Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
08/13/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

It's as if a civil war had been concocted just to take Laura (Patricia Arquette) outside of her not-unjustified misery.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

Get rid of Arquette and this might have been a real movie.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

Seems less about the horror suffered by the Burmese than the inconvenience suffered by an American tourist who has lost her passport.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Absolutely typical of the way Hollywood can take a compelling story, full of genuine characters and heartfelt emotion, then hack it to tiny bits and put it back together, Frankenstein-like, into a sappy, overwrought drama.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Boorman's metaphysical musings might work if he integrated them more fully into his film, instead of making them secondary to action sequences.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle

A disappointing political melodrama from a good director

comment Comment
11/23/04
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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