Like anyone else who has seen this film, I stumbled across it quite by accident.

I enjoyed it and considered it to be an historically accurate portrayal of the experiences of POW's in North Viet-Nam to the best of my knowledge from other accounts by POW's.

I am a Viet-Nam veteran who has always been puzzled by the obscurity of this film. Why was it never released to theaters?

I am not a conspiracy theorist by nature, but I have always wondered if the wealth and power of Hanoi Jane Fonda might have had something to do with the stifling of this movie. If I am not mistaken, I believe she was married to the media mogul, Ted Turner at the time. Any thoughts?

Hoa Lo Prison started its use as a political prison used by French colonists in French Indochina before the North Vietnamese used it for jailing U. S. P. O. W.s during the Vietnam War. So while Cannon may have made at least five Vietnam P. O. W. Movies that I can name off the top of my head, this is the first serious one they filmed.

Directed and written by Lionel Chetwynd, this film shows a decade in the life of LCDR Williamson (Michael Moriarty, one of my favorite actors) who watches men come, go and die inside the prison camp.

There's Hubman (Paul Le Mat),a solder recalled to fight after serving in Korea who just wants to get home. Major Fischer (Jeffrey Jones in a rare heroic role) faces death with spiritual strength. Colonel Cathcart (Lawrence Pressman) tries to keep order in the face of chaos. But the only thing the men have is each other to lean on.

In no way is this an easy watch. It was made with the participation of real prisoners of war. While it failed at the box office, it remained popular amongst soldiers and those who have been in this situation.

The Hanoi Hilton (1987) was an film that took a rare look at the brutal treatment many of the P.O.W. pilots went through whilst they were held captive in North Viet-Nam. What could have been a good movie is ruined by the right-wing rhetoric, soap boxing and grand standing that is so blatant that even a child could easily read through the lines. Maybe someday a film-maker will take this story and make a more balanced and straight forward view on the subject instead of swinging either to the left or the right. I like my movies to keep politics on the side (unless they can do it without hitting the viewer over the head like Brunuel or Watkins). A rare film on such an interesting subject.

Worth a view but not a keeper.

Fair.

C