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Alden Pyle is the main antagonist of the 2002 film The Quiet American. He is an ambitious and corrupt C.I.A. official whose main plot was to defeat communism in Vietnam and diminish all of Communist and French influence in Vietnam in-order to place Vietnam under total control of the United States. Inspired by the book that he always reading called "The Dangers to Democracy" written by "York Harding", Pyle drew a plot to make Vietnam adjust with Western style Democracy and eventually an ally of the United States and to achieve his goal, he intended to defeat communism by using third forces in Vietnam which will ultimately diminish all Communist and French influence in Vietnam.

He was portrayed by Brendan Fraser, who also portrayed the Tasmanian Devil in Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Biography[]

In 1952, while Vietnam was in the midst of turmoil and conflict between French who previously occupied Vietnam as its colony and Communist forces who fight for Vietnamese Independent, a group American official was send into Saigon, the capital city of Vietnam as an official for American Legation for Medical aid program, including Alden Pyle and his colleague Joe Tunney. Unbeknown to everyone that the official send to to American Legation was actually a C.I.A. officials who was tasked to work on a plot to defeat communism and get rid both Communist and French influence in Vietnam. Their primary goal was to make Vietnam an ally of the United States.

While sitting at the famous Continental Hotel and reading his favorite book "The Dangers to Democracy" by "York Harding", Pyle meet and befriended with British reporter worked for the newspaper London Times name Thomas Fowler. Fowler at first had no suspicious at all to Pyle, but Fowler did indeed knows Pyle colleague Joe Tunney who was known for several of his role in toppling government who was considered hostile to the United States. During their first meeting at The Continental Hotel, Pyle also sees Fowler girlfriend and mistress Phuong whom he later fall-in love with.

Following their first meeting at The Continental Hotel, Pyle and Fowler developed a friendly and warm relationship. They both even going together for a visit to a hostile war-zone territory that was mostly occupied by Communist Forces in the Northern part of Vietnam. During the visit to the Northern part of Vietnam, Fowler did developed a suspicious towards Pyle whom he thought was send by Joe Tunney to do some Intelligence work. However Pyle did not verify Fowler statement and suspicious, but did tell the truth to Fowler that he grew attracted to Phuong.

Following their return to Saigon after the visit to the Northern part of Vietnam, Pyle and Fowler relationship deteriorate after Pyle admit to Phuong in-front of Fowler that he fall-in love with her and asked her to leave Fowler for Pyle, causing Fowler to grew irritated and furious towards Pyle. However Pyle and Fowler did still have a bound of friendship and even accompanying Fowler on a return back to Saigon after a visit to Holly Mountain in Vietnam-Cambodia border to meet the leader of the military Third Forces insurgent who fought against communism and distance their-self from the French, General Thế. Pyle even saving Fowler lives during an attack by Communist forces on their way back to Saigon from Holly Mountain.

However after returning to Saigon following Fowler's meeting with General Thế, Pyle and Fowler relationship deteriorate even worse after Pyle caught Fowler lying to Phuong by saying to Phuong that his wife agree to give divorce, but instead refuse to divorce Fowler in a letter send by Fowler's wife which was read by both Pyle and Phuong. Phuong then leaves Fowler and dated Alden Pyle, causing Fowler grow more furious towards Pyle. But by then Fowler has taken notice about Pyle Intelligence works after sneaking with his assistant Hinh, into a warehouse own by General Thế's closes allies, Mr. Muoi and notice a box of delivery package with sign "diolacton" with delivery address to Alden Pyle.

The following morning while seating and having tea at The Continental Hotel, a highly explosive bomb exploded at Palace Garnier where The Continental Hotel was located, killing dozens innocent civilian there. Following the bombing, Fowler saw Pyle who apparently was also at the bombing location, but grow even more suspicious of Pyle after seeing him speaking Vietnamese very fluently like his native language. Fowler also find-out that diolacton is actually an explosive use for plasticizer in explosive compounds. Fowler also learn from his assistant Hinh who secretly worked for the Communist that Alden Pyle is actually a C.I.A. officer and learns of Pyle's plot to bomb Palace Garnier and put the blame on Communist militia in-order to gain General Thế forces support and win the hearts and mind from Vietnamese people in their campaign to fight the communism.

Fowler who learned all of Pyle's plot and true intention then confront him and told him that it was actually his plot and his fellow such as Joe Tunney, General Thế and Mr. Muoi to create a chaos and placed the blame on communist forces and to make-it look like the French are careless and not be trusted and therefore making General Thế forces gain more support from Vietnamese people. Following their confrontation, Fowler asked Pyle to go to dinner together to talk more about all of that, but the dinner was actually a set-up mastermind by Fowler's and his assistant Hinh to murder Pyle who was consider, especially by Fowler's assistant Hinh, held accountable for the bombing at Palace Garnier. Pyle who then came to the place where Fowler arrange for dinner with in Vieux Moulin, later-on was confronted by Hinh's henchmen. While trying to escape from Hinh's henchmen, Pyle was ultimately confronted by Hinh whom later stab him in his stomach, leading Pyle to his death. Pyle's body was then thrown by Hinh and his henchmen to the river and was found by local Saigon's citizen who reported the founding of Pyle's bodies to local police Inspector Vigot. Vigot later-on put suspicious on Pyle's murder to Fowler who later denied his implication on Pyle's murder.

Personality[]

Alden Pyle was pictured as a young and very ambitious person who will do any means necessary to achieve his objective. His skills in disguised as a diplomatic official in-order to hide his real identity as C.I.A. officer cannot even be seen in the whole film.

The inspiration he got from the book written by York Harding which become his primary inspiration to get rid both Communist and French influence from Vietnam and his primary Goal was to make Vietnam more Independent from French but not aligning with Communist. In-order to achieve his objective to make Vietnam more Independent and adopt Western style Democracy, Pyle supported the famous warlord General Thế by creating what was known as the third forces.

In-order to make General Thế and his forces more famous within the Vietnamese people and gain more support, Pyle initiated plot to undermined both Communist and French in the eyes of Vietnamese people. The plot including creating a chaos such as bombing a famous area which was frequently visited by Saigon's citizen and scapegoating the Communist by making the bombing looks like initiated by the Communist.

Pyle's plot at first was seen to have worked very well and General Thế did indeed gained more support from Vietnamese People. However Pyle's weakness was his attraction towards women. His fall-in love to Phuong was considered to be his downfall, which makes Fowler can easily baiting Pyle to his trap that led to his death.

Trivia[]

• 

  For a long time, many mistaken that Alden Pyle character was inspired from the real-life general Edward Lansdale, who was a United States Air Force counter-insurgency expert and also psychological warfare expert. Lansdale was indeed stationed in Vietnam from 1953-1957 and disguised as an Air Force Attache, but Greene did not meet Lansdale before and while writing The Quiet American novel. Greene in-fact meet Lansdale after writing The Quiet American. It was on the 2018 books The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam written by Max Boot, it was revealed that Graham Greene's main inspiration for Alden Pyle's character was actually an official from U.S. Embassy named Leo Hochstetter, who serve as public affairs director for the Economic Aid Mission in Vietnam and was assumed by the French and many Westerner in Vietnam for secretly working for the C.I.A. At some point while Greene was travelling with Hochstetter into the countryside in Vietnam, Hochstetter did indeed lectured Greene about the necessity of finding a "third force" in Vietnam as the new government that would aligned with the United States, and not sided with Ho Chi Minh's communist forces.
• Actor Tom Cruise initially interested in playing the role of Alden Pyle. but due to scheduling conflict with Mission Impossible II and Minority Report, Cruise withdrew his name for the lead actor to play Alden Pyle and the role went on to Brendan Fraser. Johnny Depp and Heath Ledger was also among the actor being considered to play Alden Pyle before Director Phillip Noyce settled on Brendan Fraser as the lead actor to play Alden Pyle.
• Retired United States Air Force Major General Edward Lansdale whom for many times being mistaken as Graham Greene's real life inspiration for Alden Pyle's character, later-on wrote an autobiography which was named "The Unquiet American". The name was actually an opposite of Graham Greene's Novels title "The Quiet American", in-which for quite long-time refers to the common, but incorrect belief that the eponymous Alden Pyle's character was based on Lansdale himself. Lansdale Autobiography, which was co-written by Cecil Currey was published in 1988, a year after Major General Edward Lansdale died due to heart ailment on February 23, 1987.