PamelaShort
With high expectations upon watching another Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake film, I found Saigon a sad ending of what had been film noir's most exciting pairing of two of 1940s most popular stars. Veronica Lake looks tired throughout most of the film and the agitated character she plays, does not give her a chance to relax with her usual coolness. Alan Ladd's character also lacks his usual charisma and try as he might, his scenes with Lake are more fizzle than sizzle, and his part restricts him from doing very much in the sock-and-bust'em line. The other players in this film, including one fellow who is doomed to die and another who's a wag, do little to stimulate any excitement. And the ending takes place in a cemetery, which only adds to the melancholy realization of the end of an era. With all of this said, the story does move at a brisk pace, has some interesting moments, and the sets designed to capture the proper Vietnam atmosphere are adequate. For the fans of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, this film will either satisfy or disappoint.
juanandrichard
I found this movie entertaining, but I think it is a mistake to compare it to "Calcutta," since they are very different in many ways. The only similarity is that they both take place in the orient. "Calcutta" is essentially-- aside from the adventure trappings -- a "whodunnit" with a surprise twist at the end, similar to both "Dead Reckoning" and "The Maltese Falcon". "Saigon," which I enjoyed for what it is, is a much less involving movie because, for one thing, there is really not that much suspense. However, the Ladd/Lake combo is always interesting to watch and the supporting actors -- in particular, Morris Carnovsky and Luis van Rooten -- I found fascinating. Whereas Paramount gave "Calcutta" a much more expensive mounting (which paid off because it actually took in more at the box office than even "The Blue Dahlia), I felt they really reduced the budget on this movie -- the hotel sets at the end being the only really expensive looking ones. recommended for Ladd/Lake fans.
Neil Doyle
SAIGON was the last teaming of ALAN LADD and VERONICA LAKE, and sorry to say, it's also their least satisfying effort.It's the buddy theme again, with Ladd and WALLY CASSELL trying to protect their buddy, DOUGLAS DICK, from the truth that he doesn't have long to live--and then getting involved in an adventurous tale of smugglers, loot and murder. VERONICA LAKE turns up to join the trio for a cloak and dagger sort of tale that pits the three buddies against the villainous LUTHER ADLER.Neither Ladd nor Lake is seen to best advantage here and the script, as well as their seeming indifference to the storyline, is the real problem. Paramount apparently made this one in a hurry to cash in on whatever remained of the star chemistry Ladd and Lake once had, but they got poor returns for their efforts and didn't invest enough time to create a good enough script.For Ladd and Lake fans, it's strictly below average as entertainment.
Silents Fan
This last and least successful teaming of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake is still highly watchable for the sizzling chemistry between them and the Byzantine, if predictable, plot twists and dagger wielding bad guys behind the curtains. Alan Ladd's character has decided to kick around the Far East waiting for his terminally ill army buddy to die, rather than return home to normalcy after WWII. The various plot-lines involving smugglers and murderers is of less interest than the screen presence of the two headliners.
AD
