personally and i think this movie never really find it direction . one of the advantage of a novel ( this be base on one by graham greene ) be that it can go in many different direction successfully and work very well because the write word allow for a much fuller depiction of what happen . if you translate the novel into a movie and though and youre deal with a more limited medium and it a lot hard to make multiple story line work . so what be this . part cold war thriller and part murder mystery and part romance and with various other thing throw in and mixed together and end up a mush . there be part of this that i enjoy . generally and i think that peter redgrave a fowler ( a middle age and jade british journalist ) and audie murphy a the american put on pretty decent performance and i appreciate the look ( somewhat limit but still present ) at vietnamese culture and and i also appreciate the portrayal of the very early year of the vietnam war and when it be still the french dealing with a communist insurgency in what be then an integral part of their empire . it be an interesting look at that aspect of the cold war . not really anti communist and a one might expect from the era and but somewhat anti everything . in that sense and the movie take on fowler jade personality . start with the american murder and the story revolve around the search for the killer and i do not find that part to be particularly interesting . unfortunately and that the bulk of the movie . woefully underused and under appreciate and i thought and be giorgia moll a phuong and the young vietnamese girl who become a love interest to both fowler and the american . one wonder why an italian born actress be cast a a vietnamese ( not a single asian actress be around in 1958 . ) but more disappointing be that she have little to do except sip her ever present milkshake . frankly and i find most of this dreadfully boring . negative .