I love this movie so much

Really Surprised!

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

John Boorman (the guy who brought us back to back 70s classics Deliverance and Zardoz) directs this well-shot but poorly-acted ethnodrama. This is a kind of cinema a great deal of people will, in full honesty, describe as "important". And that's fine and all, but...come on, folks, just admit it: Patricia Arquette ruins the entire thing. The story is certainly an important one, and its Hollywoodish, romanticized treatment is a cheap price to pay for making casual western moviegoers aware - not necessarily of the actual history or anything, but of the simple fact that Burma is a place that exists in the world and that, by the way, its people live under a repressive military dictatorship.The locations are gorgeous, and perhaps the cringeworthy moments of maudlin, hamfisted romantics and the unintentional shadow of colonialism (this is pretty much the opposite of the "subaltern speaking", and if you think about it, PatArq's character's decision to insist on "visiting the countryside" was motivated by selfish reasons and possibly resulted in at least one person needlessly losing his life) can be excused by the fact that this was made during Clintontime, pre-911 and all that. But there's no excusing PatArq's terrible acting. Maybe I didn't see it on a big enough screen or something, or maybe it compounds with the fact that this movie feels downright dated, but she should have focused more on playing skanks who wait tables at diners until they are swept up in some criminal scheme by a poorly-shaven dude. Her "doctor" was about as believable as "lawyer" in the entire Legally Blonde franchise. I could go on and on, but who needs another paragraph lambasting PatArq?In the end, there's just not enough crab in this Rangoon for me to recommend it off the Boorman menu. Take a bite, and you'll get a mouthful of cream cheese. You've been warned...

A powerful movie that has recovered much of its meaning in this second half of 2007 after the new desperate movements of the Burmese people against their tyrants. I felt a complex mix of feelings about the people there, something like compassion and admiration at the same time, together with a bit of rage because I feel that no one, neither the countries of the world, nor themselves, is doing anything effective to end this shame. I think these feelings became directly from the movie, and that they were intended when it was made, so it is a successful movie. The desire for peace, the quest for enlightenment, the respect for life sometimes leads to subjugation. In fact it is the Buddhist Burmese culture who has left the doors wide opens to their dictators. But, how can you feel angry about these poor people?

This film should be seen by as many people as possible as it concentrates on the human rights problems in Burma. When I first watched this film in the mid 1990's it totally changed my life. I knew very little about Aung San Suu Kyi or her democracy movement. It effected me so I wanted to understand more about the situation. Any film that has the power to make you want to learn more has done its job properly. Patricia Arquette is superb as the American lady who due to personal tragedy has become reckless with her own life decisions and gets caught up in the ensuing conflict. It is a powerful film about a subject matter which deserves more publicity. As the film itself says the 1988 massacre of Pro democracy activists was not televised and therefore largely went unnoticed to the world. I implore everyone reading these comments to take the time to find out more about the current plight of the Burmese people.It is about time this film was released on DVD. Can anything be done?

"Beyond Rangoon" is mostly a petite, robust Arquette running barefoot all over Burma from the military junta bad guys while trying desperately to help a wounded super good guy professor. The film mechanically tells its by-the-numbers story about a recently widowed American physician on vacation who gets stuck in the traveler's favorite vacation spot, Burma (yeah, right!), in the midst of a clash between restless citizens and the ruling military junta. The result is very ordinary stuff for Arquette fans, people with an interest in the Burma, and couch potatoes who dig flicks with strong women heros. (C)