Review of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) by Ben L — 18 Sep 2016

I'll admit that, prior to watching this classic film, I was under the impression that it was simply a movie about building a bridge in the midst of a war. Now I know there is so much more going on than just that.

It's actually a film about obsession, duty, pride, and so much more. Alec Guinness does something in The Bridge on the River Kwai that I never expected and it simply amazed me. His character takes such an interesting arc throughout the film, and our opinion of him shifts along with that arc.

I was fascinated with how dramatically my emotions about one man could vary so dramatically over the course of a few hours. I, personally, feel the shortcoming of this film is the fact that we leave the POW camp for way too long about two-thirds of the way through the movie.

The prisoners and the bridge was the story I was invested in, that was the plot I wanted to see in center focus most of the time. Leaving the camp for a couple brief scenes to setup the ending would have worked, but they completely shift the entire film and try to establish a whole new cast of characters, meanwhile I'm waiting to get back to the guys I cared about.

It's not enough to ruin the movie, and knowing the team of commandos adds some extra emotion to the climax, I just didn't know if it was necessary. However, even with some small aspects that discouraged me, The Bridge on the River Kwai is an amazing movie and I can see why it has been highly regarded for so long.