--- title: "The Killing Fields: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-killing-fields/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-killing-fields" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Killing Fields (1984): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics regard The Killing Fields as a forceful, humane account of Cambodia’s suffering, with praise concentrated on its photography, wordless sequences and Haing S. Ngor’s performance as Dith Pran. The reviews repeatedly find the images of violence and devastated landscapes more persuasive than the dialogue. Ngor’s sincerity gives the personal story weight, while the film’s scale and attention to individual survival earn broad respect. The central friendship produces the sharpest disagreement. RogerEbert.com sees it as a truthful relationship that avoids Hollywood formulas; Variety and The New Yorker find it underdeveloped or manipulated by the script. Other reservations concern a wandering structure, increasing sentimentality and music that presses too hard for a response. The spread runs from wholehearted admiration to qualified approval rather than outright rejection: even the more doubtful reviews credit the film’s visual force, but disagree about how well its writing supports it. ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 5/5. Few films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically; the film has scale, humanity and emotional force in depicting the Cambodian genocide through personal stories, though the script focuses on the personal over the political and the music is awful. It remains one of the greatest pictures of the 1980s. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-u3fwo3/the-killing-fields/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 1 January 1984. The film succeeds by respecting its real-life story of friendship and survival rather than following Hollywood formulas, switching focus to Dith Pran's experiences in the second half. It stands out for its human moments, convincing locations, and the sincere performance by non-actor Haing S. Ngor. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-killing-fields-1984) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises Joffé's searing depiction of the Cambodia conflict through the bond between reporter and guide, highlighting the mind-numbing clarity of the camerawork and the unforgettable scene of Pran awakening amid corpses. It is called a mighty accomplishment and possibly the bravest British film yet made. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/killing-fields-review/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The film starts strongly with a chaotic and violent first hour that captures the absurdity of war through stunning photography, but gradually becomes a sentimental buddy movie. Its overall angry, intelligent and compassionate thrust makes it producer Puttnam's finest work to date, despite a misjudged use of Lennon's 'Imagine'. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-killing-fields) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1984. The film is an admirable attempt to convey the horror of recent Cambodian history through perseverance and survival, with gripping silent camp and escape sequences. It works least well as a story of friendship, with something missing at its heart despite impressive trappings and a strong non-professional performance by Haing S. Ngor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1983/film/reviews/the-killing-fields-1200425924/) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 1984. The film powerfully depicts the Khmer Rouge's transformation of Cambodia through striking, documentary-like images of horror and landscapes, especially in wordless sequences. It is let down by an inept script that makes the Schanberg-Pran friendship feel inauthentic and manipulative, with filler scenes and overly insistent music. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1984/12/10/the-current-cinema-unreal) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Rating Critic’s Pick. 2 November 1984. The ambitious film is a faithful, serious adaptation of Schanberg's memoir about the Cambodian tragedy and the friendship between Schanberg and Dith Pran, acted with honesty by the cast. It is diffuse and wandering at times, taking a god-like view that sometimes obscures the central relationship. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/02/movies/screen-tale-of-death-and-life-of-a-cambodian.html) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2014. The critic praises the film's powerful storytelling and technical achievements in depicting the Cambodian genocide through a personal narrative. She singles out Haing S. Ngor's riveting, authentic performance as Dith Pran for particular acclaim. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-killing-fields-1984-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-killing-fields.md