Review of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) by Kevin R — 20 Sep 2013

If I was you I'd kill myself.

A Japanese POW camp has captured a group of British troops. The leader of the British troops reluctantly agrees to help the Japanese build the bridge. He uses this opportunity to attempt to escape the Japanese. If he escapes, which is a big if, will he be accepted by the British leadership or be seen as a deserter? If he is seen as a deserter, how can he redeem himself?

"Here there is no civilization.".

"Then we have the opportunity to introduce it.".

David Lean, director of Lawrence of Arabia, A Passage to India, Doctor Zhivago, Summertime, Oliver Twist (1948), Great Expectations (1946), and Brief Encounters, delivers The Bridge on the River Kwai. The storyline for this picture is interesting and fairly dramatic. The ending is very good and the acting is solid for the genre. The cast includes William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, Andre Morell, and Percy Herbert.

"The objective comes first in our work.".

I have heard nothing but good things about this picture and have wanted to see it for some time. I watched it recently and was slightly disappointed. I thought this would be on par with the Dirty Dozen but this was a step down from that caliber of film. The overall film is well done and contains solid characters but I wouldn't add this to my DVD collection.

"There are some who just get tired of living.".

Grade: B.