Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
91%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 11 nominations total
As gripping as it is inspiring, Last Days in Vietnam offers a surprisingly fresh — and heart-wrenching — perspective on the end of the Vietnam War.
Last Days in Vietnam is a must-watch documentary that tells the story of the fall of Saigon in a way that is both informative and emotional. The film is filled with archival footage and first-person accounts from those who were there, giving viewers a glimpse into the chaos and bravery that occurred during those final days. While the filmmaking may not be innovative, it is still a gracefully told story that is both tense and poignant. Overall, Last Days in Vietnam is a testament to the human spirit and the lengths that people will go to do what they believe is right, even in the face of terrible circumstances. Plus, it’s directed by a Kennedy, so you know it’s got some liberal credentials!
Production Company(ies)
Jet Tone Production
Distributor
American Experience
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:1h 38m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 7, 2015
Genre(s)
Documentary/War
Keyword(s)
Last Days in Vietnam, documentary, war, American servicemen, South Vietnamese collaborators, Saigon, North Vietnamese, Rory Kennedy, directed by Rory Kennedy, produced by Rory Kennedy, Kevin Mcalester, written by Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester, reviewed by Verne Gay, Robert Lloyd, Brad Wheeler, John Anderson, Linda Barnard, Kristin Tillotson, Di Golding, Stephen Saito, Kyle Smith, Norman Wilner, Louis Proyect, MaryAnn Johanson, Henry Kissinger, Stuart Herrington, Juan Valdez, Frank Snepp, Kiem Do, Ron Nessen, genre, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating
Worldwide gross: $466,114
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $582,525
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,705
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 63,525
US/Canada gross: $466,114
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $582,525
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,293
US/Canada opening weekend: $30,500
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $38,117
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,286
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Stuart Herrington – self
Juan Valdez – self
Frank Snepp – self
Kiem Do – self
Ron Nessen – self
Rory Kennedy – director, producer
Kevin Mcalester – producer
Mark Bailey – writer
Director(s)
Rory Kennedy
Writer(s)
Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester
Producer(s)
Rory Kennedy, Kevin Mcalester
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (3)
Authoritative and exhaustive. A must-watch.
April 30, 2015 | Rating: A+
Verne Gay
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
The film is rich in archival-memory and first-person recollections of many key figures, of higher and lower or no rank at all.
April 28, 2015
Robert Lloyd
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
There’s nothing innovative in the filmmaking, it’s simply a gracefully told story – tense here; poignant there – with strong detailing.
January 23, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Brad Wheeler
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
[A] disarming documentary about the fall of Saigon, a movie that is as much about human decency as diplomatic incompetence.
January 6, 2015
John Anderson
America Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Archived film of the final, chaotic push to clear the embassy compound by helicopter is as dramatic as any thriller, heightened by stories of bravery and risk.
October 30, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Linda Barnard
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
A testament to people, as one source puts it, “doing their best under terrible circumstances.”
October 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Kristin Tillotson
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Kennedy’s take on this dark and convoluted quagmire finds its balance somewhere between oblique reportage and post-hoc apologia.
December 11, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Di Golding
Dear Cast and Crew
As impossibly large-scale and labyrinthian wars can become, it is still the human element that shines through, for better or worse.
November 15, 2018
Stephen Saito
Moveable Fest
It’s a brilliant, harrowing, emotionally potent documentary by a director with unimpeachable liberal credentials – a Kennedy, no less.
May 4, 2017
Kyle Smith
National Review
It’s a fascinating saga of institutional denial and personal commitment – both of which are somehow bound up in the personal arc of Graham Martin.
December 18, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Norman Wilner
NOW Toronto
Totally unbalanced film. The North Vietnamese army becomes the symbol of invading barbarians when as Walt Kelly put it, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
February 13, 2015
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Paints a true-life picture of ordinary people with human consciences defying their orders and the law to do the right thing when bureaucracy fails them.
February 12, 2015
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher…
Plot
In the final weeks of the Vietnam War, American servicemen and others attempt to evacuate as many friends, family members, and South Vietnamese collaborators as possible before Saigon falls to the North Vietnamese.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast and crew section includes notable figures such as Henry Kissinger and Ron Nessen.
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