This is one HBO's best limited series ever. It works beautifully for those of us old enough to remember who lived the Vietnam War. It also works as well for anyone interested in what happens to refugees as they begin blending into the U.S;; with new lives. This is among the first Vietnam War/post-war stories told and filmed from the Vietnamese perspective, with an outstanding Vietnamese cast. Robert Downey, Jr. and his wife deserve unlimited praise for producing such an important series from an award-winning book. Downey, Jr. himself should get Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for brilliantly portraying several key American characters in the story, but he'll be the first to tell you The Sympathizer is not about him. Hoa Xuande, an Australian-Vietnamese, plays the protagonist as The Captain a double agent educated in America and returned to Vietnam as a secret police officer who serves three masters -- a power-crazed South Vietnamese general who heads the secret police, and then leads southern California's Vietnamese expat community, played by Vietnamese-American Toan Le; the top CIA agent in South Vietnam as the war was ending, played by Downey; and Man, one of the top North Vietnamese agents in Saigon who is the Captain's handler, played by Vietnamese-American Duy Nguyen (an actual politician in the Nevada Legislature). Three other performances stand out. Canadian-Vietnamese Fred Nguyen Khan plays Bon, The Captain's best friend and a super warrior escapes to the U.S. while watching his wife and child die on the runway before they could board the plane; 86-year old Kieu Chinh, Vietnam's best known actress before the war who

Rewrite. Relive. Restart" Plot: An espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States. Pros: The technical: music, cinematography, editing, transitions, vantage points, practical effects, settings, wardrobe, props, everything. The performances are so good and compelling and the story is pretty perfect and super creative to show this from a side you don't see. Cons: Honestly, I could've probably done without RDJ, but I think he added an air about things that worked for his characters. Other than that, no notes. Overall, Park Chan-wook kills it with the story, the directors (including Park) deliver compelling and engaging moments with the stories, and the cast and cameos were all perfect. I loved it, and at a 7 episode limited series, I highly recommend it. 2024 Ranked 230/500 movies & tv for 2024

7/10 I actually think this show starts extremely strong. The first episode had me basically all in for whatever was coming next. Beyond that, though, I think “The Sympathizer” faltered in quite a few areas. It comes as no surprise that Robert Downey Jr. outshines every other cast member, having taken on multiple roles for this show. He makes them all feel distinct, but also uniquely his own. Hoa Xuande is good for the most part as well. There are some odd camera decisions here and there, but overall, I enjoyed the look cinematographer Kim Ji-Yong (who did six of the seven episodes) created for this show. I also think “The Sympathizer” has a pretty hilarious sense of humor. It pokes fun at both sides of the Vietnam war, as well as its own characters. Where this show shines is when it’s playing with two things: 1) The Captain’s trauma, and 2) his unreliable narration. The moments when his story begins to unravel are some of the best scenes of the show. However, I think the show takes too much time to unfold in its middle chunk. The pacing can drag as it feels like The Captain stalls for time while he writes his story for the Commandant. Thankfully, “The Sympathizer” ends nearly as strong as it started. The character beats in the finale are satisfying.