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There's been a lot of movies made about war-torn third-world countries. The Killing Fields may not be my absolute favorite movie of that genre, but it's still a very good one and brings something somewhat unique to the table. Based on actual events in Cambodia during the 1970s, this movie has been praised constantly for its high accuracy and its portrayal of the ugly side of revolutions. What happens when you're on the business end of the rifle? What happens when everything you own is torn away from you? Other movies do kind of depict this as well, but in The Killing Fields, it feels much more personal. Like we're actually in Pran's shoes.
In a way, it sort of feels like the Far Cry games. You know, back when Far Cry was actually good. Except Pran is not a revolutionary. He's not a soldier. He's had zero military or even regular weapons experience. He's just a journalist trying desperately to survive and look out for his family. A task that becomes harder and harder as the movie progresses and intensifies. As the movie describes, there's so much war and hate and strategic planning going on, but it seems that in the end, it's always innocent people who suffer and pay the price regardless of what happens. The bystanders. The laymen.
It's one thing to see a picture or video clip of thousands of refugees being forced to evacuate a city, but it's quite another to see it in person. It's one thing to hear about child soldiers, but it's quite another to see children getting brainwashed around you to hate the older generation. And while it's one thing to witness all this in a movie, it's quite another to think that if we're not careful, we could be heading towards the same fate as a country.
Mark Twain said:History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.