The Ugly American (1963) on Netflix
Harrison MacWhite, a journalist and war veteran, becomes ambassador to Sarkhan, a Southeast Asian country split by civil unrest. He renews his friendship with Deong, now a revolutionary leader.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.6/102,778 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
Sarkhan, a Southeast Asian nation divided between a Communist north and a south in civil unrest, is to get a new American ambassador: Harrison MacWhite, a reporter and veteran of the Second World War. At his Senate confirmation hearing, questions turn on his acquaintance with Deong, whom he knew during the war and who now leads the country's revolution. MacWhite speaks of him as a man of honor. He arrives with his wife, Marion, and a mob of rebels attacks their car at the airport. Told that the road under construction strikes many Sarkhanese as imperialism, he decides to push it north toward the North Sarkhan border instead, though Homer Atkins, an American running charity work in the countryside, argues against the route.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Ugly American (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Thai politician and scholar Kukrit Pramoj was hired as a cultural expert and adviser on The Ugly American and also played Sarkhan's Prime Minister "Kwen Sai"; in 1975 he became the 13th Prime Minister of Thailand. The word "Sarkhan" then entered the Thai language as a slightly mocking nickname for Thailand itself.
- Reiko Sato was cast as Rachani in The Ugly American at the urging of Marlon Brando, who had dated her years before the film was made.
