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Not sure why it's taken me so long to get round to seeing the film (it was released in 84) - but it was excellent viewing and I can see why it won a few Oscars at the time. It tells the story of the fall of Cambodia in the 1970's, into the hands of the Khmer Rouge. It is seen through the eyes of an American reporter, Sydney Schanberg and his Cambodian associate, Dith Pran. Obviously don't want to give too much away for those who haven't seen it, but it follows the friendship of these two men through the conflict.
The Khmer Rouge were a communist party led by Pol Pot. This regime was said to be responsible for mass genocide, with the numbers dead being anywhere from a reported 1-3 million, as a result of their 'Year Zero' policy. Anyone who had links for the former government, was educated or even looked educated, were executed. The regime was toppled due to a war with neighboring Vietnam, but survived for some years as a resistance movement. Pol Pot was never brought to trial for his alleged crimes against humanity - he died in the late 90's of suspected suicide.
The term Killing Fields referred to some of the mass graves which were found some years later.
If you liked that you should check out Oliver Stone's Salvador, both quality films.
Also I believe the guy who won or was nominated for an Oscar as best Supporting Actor from the Killing Fields was tragically murdered not long after in a carjacking.
All that random knowledge and I didn't even need to look on IMDB.
Originally posted by Hoista!:
It's a huge monument now.
They still have one of the prison/torture camps in phnom penh. It was a school, which they converted to torture people.
Interestingly, the second lot of people they tortured were some of the initial torturers, who conducted crimes such as rape etc.
Was there a few years ago
Nicely filled with the bones and skulls of many of those found in shallow graves around the area.
The school is Phnom Penh is pretty nasty.
More like a catalogue of death than a museum.
Lots of unchanged rooms and rows and rows of photos of those who were brought to the school.
Iirc only about 10 prisoners actually got out of their alive and that was only right at the end of the purge.
Heaven forbid if you had soft hands or wore glasses in those days.
*immediately kills of half of OTF*
The Killing Fields 
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