The Killing Fields

Skip the prestige-TV noise — The Killing Fields, in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Kanopy, is quietly one of the better ones. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Sam Waterston — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Put it on tonight on Amazon Prime Video and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Killing Fields earns its spot. The writing in The Killing Fields treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Sam Waterston and Haing S. Ngor lead a cast that treats the material with real seriousness. It hit screens in 1984. The Killing Fields resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in The Killing Fields. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Sam Waterston's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.

The Killing Fields was released in 1984, directed by Roland Joffé. The full 142-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.