''Goodbye America'' is a 1997 action drama directed by Thierry Notz. The film examines how the closing of the U.S.

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

base at Subic Bay, Philippines affected the Filipinos and the Americans who had served there.Goodbye America, The New York Times and NYTimes.com
retrieved on June 14, 2007 The film was an attempt to bring Philippine cinema into the international audience.

Plot

As the U.S. Subic Bay naval base's operations slowly wind down and naval manpower begins to dwindle, Commander Hamilton (Wolfgang Bodison) relies on three U.S. Navy SEALs to help keep the base secure. William Hawk ( John Haymes Newton), a longtime American sailor nearing the end of a tour of duty, is involved with a Filipina, Lisa Velasquez ( Nanette Medved), a representative of the mayor's office in nearby Olongapo City. Lisa has to deal with the economic crisis that the base's closing will bring to her community, as well as her own personal problems brought on by Hawk's imminent departure and the strained relationship of her mother, Anna (Daria Ramirez), and stepfather, Ed ( James Brolin). Paul Bladon ( Alexis Arquette), another Navy SEAL at the Subic Bay base, is the son of a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

( Michael York), who will be visiting Subic Bay for the base's closing ceremonies. Senator Bladon is bringing along Paul's American girlfriend Angela (

Maureen Flannigan Maureen Osborne Flannigan (born December 30, 1973) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as teenager Evie Ethel Garland on the fantasy sitcom '' Out of This World'', which ran from 1987 to 1991. Early life Flannigan ...

), though Paul has fallen in love with a Filipina, Emma (Alma Concepcion), a former

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

who now plans to marry Paul. The third Navy SEAL, John Stryzack ( Corin Nemec), is furious over what he sees as America's betrayal of its responsibilities in the Philippines; he winds up behind bars after a violent incident, but he plans to escape to assassinate Senator Bladon, whom he believes is responsible for the closing of the base.

Cast and characters

* Alexis Arquette as Paul Bladen *Alma Concepcion as Emma Salazar * Angel Aquino as Maria * Corin Nemec as John Stryzack * James Brolin as Ed Johnson * John Haymes Newton as William Hawk *

as Angela *Michael J. Sarna as Large Sailor * Michael York as Senator Bladon * Nanette Medved as Lisa *Daria Ramirez as Anna * Rae Dawn Chong as Danzig * Wolfgang Bodison as Jack Hamilton *

Richard J. Gordon Richard Juico Gordon (born August 5, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who most recently served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator from 2016 to 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2010. He is the chairman and CEO of the Philippine R ...

as himself, the mayor of Olongapo City

Release

The film premiered in the Philippines on August 20, 1997, and at the Film Market of the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, where the screening attracted curious distributors and the movie garnered some hype. It had a television premiere in Greece, Finland as ''Hyvästi, Amerikka'' and in Germany as ''Im Namen der Ehre.''

Reception

Most critics found the subject potent and timely. However, the film had an excess of characters and the end product was disorganized. It was hailed as a Philippine film thinly disguised as a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

. In Rotten Tomatoes it has an average score of 3 out of 5 based on 124 user reviews.

Home media

The official DVD of the film was released on April 16, 1999, in the Philippines and Hungary. In United States, the film was released by MTI Home Video. In Brazil, it was released by

Sunset Productions Sunset Productions, Inc. was a television production and licensing subsidiary of Warner Bros. Pictures headed by Jack M. Warner. It was an entity separate from Warner Bros. Television. History Sunset was originally established as a subsidiary of ...

and D+T.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0119218 1997 films 1997 action thriller films 1997 romantic drama films Films set in the Philippines Star Cinema films Filipino-American films American romantic drama films Films shot in the Philippines Films about United States Navy SEALs Films directed by Thierry Notz 1990s English-language films 1990s American films