Beyond Rangoon (1995)

35% of critics liked it
(31 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(7,867 ratings)

In a role originally intended for Meg Ryan, Patricia Arquette plays Dr. Laura Bowman in director John Boorman's film of an American abroad in a strange country. It's 1988 and Laura is desperate to flee the United States and the memory of her husband and son's murders. Accompanied by her sister, Andy… More In a role originally intended for Meg Ryan, Patricia Arquette plays Dr. Laura Bowman in director John Boorman's film of an American abroad in a strange country. It's 1988 and Laura is desperate to flee the United States and the memory of her husband and son's murders. Accompanied by her sister, Andy (Frances McDormand), she heads for Burma just as the peaceful protests against the country's military government take a more violent turn. Andy and the rest of their party flee in a hurry, but Laura is forced to stay behind when she loses her passport. A former professor (Aung Ko) offers her guidance to the border of Thailand, where they both hope to make their escape. Boorman's scenes of action and violence are well-staged, but Arquette is not big enough to carry the film and her plight seems inconsequential next to that of the Burmese as the military begins its ruthless crackdown. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: John Boorman
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Aug 25, 1995 Wide
On DVD: May 26, 2009
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
In attempting to make its politics palatable as entertainment, the film has grafted them onto a boatload of Hollywood implausibilities whose excesses cripple believability.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
As an exercise in art, or even polemics, Beyond Rangoon is beyond redemption, but still works its occasional magic with extraordinary flair.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Yet one more film -- that defines Third World political unrest through its effect on a white liberal.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Boorman's metaphysical musings might work if he integrated them more fully into his film, instead of making them secondary to action sequences.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
It's fascinating and rewarding to watch [Arquette] evolve, with much credibility, from her own personal state of immaturity to a state of full growth.
Caryn James, New York Times
A rare film, one that is intelligent, emotional and exciting.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Do artists, and those who style themselves as artists, have the right to lie to further their visions?
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
An exotic adventure story with a political conscience
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A disappointing, improbable political melodrama from a good director
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
A strange misfire with conflicted intent.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
A Very powerful film, with a slew of great performances
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
About an American doctor in Burma who discovers the wild woman inside as she squares off against incredible physical and mental challenges.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
This is a perennial favorite because of the scenery (it's set in Burma, shot in Malaysia), because of the strong heroine, and because of the mix of politics and adventure.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Arquette seems out of place, but there's enough quality here to warrant a fair shot.
Kim Williamson, Boxoffice Magazine
In place of the backstory on Laura Bowman we need to understand why this woman undertakes her dangerous odyssey, the script races forward with action sequences better suited to co-writer Alex Lasker's earlier Firefox.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

In "Beyond Rangoon," sisters Laura(Patricia Arquette) and Andy(Frances McDormand) travel to Burma in 1988 to help Laura get over the murder of her husband and son. Sleepless one night, Laura stumbles across a pro-democracy protest led by Aung San Suu Kyi(Adelle Lutz). It… More
In "Beyond Rangoon," sisters Laura(Patricia Arquette) and Andy(Frances McDormand) travel to Burma in 1988 to help Laura get over the murder of her husband and son. Sleepless one night, Laura stumbles across a pro-democracy protest led by Aung San Suu Kyi(Adelle Lutz). It is there that she has her passport conveniently stolen and is forced to stay behind while Andy continues on to Thailand. While she waits to have a replacement passport made, Laura decides to do some sightseeing, enlisting U Aung Ko(U Aung Ko) to drive her. If it is true that the road to mediocre films is built on good intentions, then "Beyond Rangoon" is a perfect example. Set at an important time in Burma's history and made at a time when not a lot of information was getting out due to the military junta's total control, then the movie serves a purpose to dramatize these events. However, by working in a highly contrived story that closely resembles an epic psychiatric session, it also manages to trivialize them at the same time. But the cinematography is very lovely. At any rate, it would not be until the documentary "Burma VJ" that we would get the clearest picture of what is going on inside Burma.
Anthony V

Good story and performances.
Leo L

A beautiful movie!