The Sympathizer

I do not know what book the reviewer who claims the novel is set in France read but The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen takes place in America. That is the whole point of the story. The main character is a communist spy undercover as an aide to a South Vietnamese military commander who escapes to the United States of America at the conclusion of the war in Vietnam. Once in America, the narrator is then is a sleeper agent and a wry observer of American culture. His commentary on American life and capitalism offers a fresh perspective not offer seen and allows us, as readers, to see the war and its aftermath from a different and much needed viewpoint.

I had hopes for this show especially with Park Chan Wook involved. It was interesting to see RDJ play different roles but no one would be surprised with his versatility in acting skills. The show started off decent but felt the show just wasn't executed in the best way possible. The story felt dragged out each episode with only a seven episode count and although it was nice to see some Asian representation, I just didn't care much for any of the characters. They might've been better off with doing a 2 hour movie. The satire tone worked on some parts but really was overdone throughout the show. I expected something more to keep me engaged and feel some type of emotional attachment but it never delivered. Considering that Hoa Xuande was playing a Vietnamese communist spy, I wanted to see more scenes that made you want to empathize more for the character so by the time the ending came, you'd feel satisfied with the outcome of his character.

I had high expectations for The Sympathizer but it didn't really pan out like I hoped it would.

Robert Downey Jr. Puts in an Emmy-bait performance, playing multiple roles, but they all seemed to be the same guy with just slight variations. There's a story-based reason for this if you stick it out till the end but it still did not come off well, watching a parade of cliches march through the story in lieu of well-rounded characters.

Another major mistake was casting an actor who is obviously 100% Vietnamese as a Eurasian character, which necessitated silly things like awkward looking blue contact lenses and white makeup that must have been stolen from Michael Jackson's cosmetics case.

The actor who played Bon was good though. The story always came alive when he was in a scene. The best episode was the one dealing with a zany movie about the Vietnam War and shot in Napa (??? Must have been a cheap quickie, not something Coppola or Scorsese would have stooped to).

The Vietnamese refugee community was fun, especially the demented General. But the lead character was always lying and being evasive, running away from himself, not even sure who he was. I guess that was the point of the story but when you have an unappealing lead character, it drags down the story.

Worth watching, but only just barely. HBO's glory days of prestige productions seems to be waning. Under Zaslav, I don't expect even productions of this caliber. Zaslav thinks HBO is a good brand to slap on a Harry Potter series.

The first and second episode got me get up on my feet and applause at the end credit when nobody's even looking. Interesting and intelligent at the same time. Historical and very well researched on that time but snazzy at the same time. A story within a story organization is freaking genius The external narrative is The Captain in the reeducation camp, and the inner narrative is his experience as a spy from around the fall of Saigon to new (but not very new) life in America. Because he's telling the story in front of a guard, how far is the inner narrative true? The audience experiences 'the war of memory' second handedly because the captain might restart, recollect, and reeducate.

It's not just about the story. It also feels like I'm watching the theater within the series. The first interrogation scene on the stage with the lighting makes another frame within frame. A fictional film 'The Hamlet' in Episode 4 is played like a movie within a series as well. Like there is no camera rolling, it changes the screen ratio for 'The Hamlet'. Again, frame within a frame. Park knows how to use the screen to the fullest.

However, from episode 3, 'Sympathizer' becomes loose and flabby. Park's direction is sometimes for the sake of the direction itself. It shows off and screams 'I'm such a good director', and has nothing to do with connecting with the audience. His direction does not make the story fuller or the message louder. It's just artsy. And, what is the purpose of Downey Jr. Taking four roles? He was not even that good, and it was ineffective and inefficient, adding just confusion. Hoa Xuande, on the contrary, is a newly discovered talent. He succeeds in not losing wit and humor in serious situations. His acting is on point especially in the black comedy.

I do not write many reviews, usually when I am really blown away or feel that a movie or show is treated/viewed unfair or too harsh.

When I read about the book "the sympathizer" was being adapted into a mini series, it was thrilling. It was a great read and kept me awake for a few nights.

Episode 1 of the tv show was okay, followed by two serious letdowns. The fourth episode made up for it in certain aspects, somehow it was a parody on a previous parody, starring Robert Downey Jr, named "Tropic Thunder". Coming to that actor, is where I personally see the whole problem with the sympathizer show. It appears to be a vanity project for Iron Man. He takes on multiple roles but excells in none, aside from the weird movie director. Neither his CIA spook nor the cultural sucker professor are well done.

So, why even give it a five out of ten? For the 1st and 4th episode, for it being a show set in cool locations and including dark moments in history. Overall tho, I have to force myself to keep on watching, not looking forward to soak up the next episode.