Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) Rank 5 Reviews

Netflix (James Rocchi)

World War II classic receives brilliant presentation and provides fascinating perspective on DVD. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Netflix (James Rocchi)

The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews

A masterpiece by the master David Lean. Definitely a classic and possibly one of the best war movies ever made (The Dirty Dozen is #1 in my humble opinion). This movie has everything. An engrossing story based on fact. Great action scenes. Fantastic ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews

FilmHead.com - Video Pick

David Lean's masterpiece about British troops in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp was the complete opposite of the first film, with a nearly all-male cast. Japanese Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) orders the Brits to build a large wooden bridge, for use ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at FilmHead.com - Video Pick

Appreciating Great Trash

David Lean was the grandmaster of epic modern cinema, but unlike his progeny (even Steven Spielberg, to a degree), he managed to keep a tight focus on his characters and the story. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Appreciating Great Trash

Dragan Antulov

The film begins in February 1943, in the Prison Camp No. 16, commanded by Colonel Saito (played by Sessue Hayakawa), who is faced with a problem. He is ordered to finish the bridge over the river Kwai before May 12th, but the task is almost impossible, ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Dragan Antulov

Boxoffice Magazine

Make no mistake, David Lean's "Bridge on the River Kwai" is one of the greatest movies ever made, making any DVD of the film, no matter what the quality, an essential addition to any library. It is, therefore, with great satisfaction that fans of the ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Boxoffice Magazine

LeisureSuit.net

The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957): The Bridge on the River Kwai This week we honor the passing of Sir Alec Guinness by taking a look at Bridge on the River Kwai, David Lean's masterpiece of war, honor, and madness. The role of Colonel ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at LeisureSuit.net

The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), the memorable, epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama, was the first of director David Lean's major multi-million dollar, wide-screen super-spectaculars (his later epics included Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)

Classic Film Guide

O.K. now, everybody whistle. A long film about "keeping a stiff upper lip", following orders, and leadership earned David Lean his first Best Director Oscar (though Howard Hawks was originally asked to direct it). Can you image Cary Grant (as was ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Classic Film Guide

The Digital Bits

Modern action movies are usually noisy, superficial affairs, with flashy pyrotechnics, rapid-fire editing and easy-to-understand characters. Of course, most modern action movies don't win Academy Awards, either. Maybe the people behind these flicks ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at The Digital Bits

DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)

A richly textured movie experience, The Bridge on the River Kwai still packs a wallop 43 years after it premiered. The script is a big improvement on Pierre Boulle's sober novel with its twist ending. Boulle barely sketches the commando mission, and ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)

CultureDose.net (John Nesbit)

The fact that I remember any of The Bridge on the River Kwai from my first viewing (at age 9) is remarkable in itself. Not that I was mature enough to remember much of it, but I've completely forgotten other movies from that time. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at CultureDose.net (John Nesbit)

DVD Breakdown

The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of those movies whose excellence seems to catch you off-guard and that draws you back in every time it's turned on. A rarely intelligent combination of WWII adventure yarn and prison camp morality and psychological ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Breakdown

DVD Journal

David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of the more unusual World War II films, despite the fact that it's also one of the most enduring. But Lean was never the sort of director to string a series of taut battles on a few storylines for the ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Journal

DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

...stirring drama in a timeless setting. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

Oscar Guy (Wesley Lovell)

Alec Guinness' outstanding performance is one of the many things that work in David Lean's intriguing epic. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Oscar Guy (Wesley Lovell)

EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)

Still one of the most rousing war films, Lean's epic is rich in characters and marked by an ironic and ambiguous POV in the way that it depicts the conflict between Guinness, Hayakawa, and Holden, as individuals and symbols of their national cultures. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)

New York Times (Bosley Crowther)

Brilliant is the word, and no other, to describe the quality of skills that have gone into the making of this picture. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at New York Times (Bosley Crowther)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

In my opinion, it is one of the two best films to emerge from a very strong decade of cinema. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Rotten Tomatoes - Reviews from the Nation's Top Critics

Epic wartime storytelling at its most vibrant and satisfying. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Rotten Tomatoes - Reviews from the Nation's Top Critics

At-A-Glance Film Reviews

David Lean, king of the epics, coughed up the first of his bona fide classic latter day epic films in 1957 with the grand-scale The Bridge On the River Kwai. For me, what's most intriguing about this war film is that it's not about the war. Bridge is ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews

Prison Flicks Review

This is an extraordinary motion picture. It is a compelling story, beautifully shot, and brilliantly acted. It is not a perfect movie, unlike, say, Casablanca or Goodfellas or the Swinging Cheerleaders, but it is darn close and its strengths definitely ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Prison Flicks Review

Swimming to Casablanca - sprint reviews

Have you ever noticed how good the food tastes after watching a POW film? After watching BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI on DVD, I barbecued some catfish . This catfish must've been swimming in the Wall Lane doing the "kitty" paddle. It was a little rubbery ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Swimming to Casablanca - sprint reviews

The Flick Filosopher's take

Instantly one of my favorite films, The Bridge on the River Kwai is a tense, terrifying, absolutely riveting film about the ironies of war and the deadly psychological games enemy soldiers play with each other. Prisoners from Japanese POW Camp 16, ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at The Flick Filosopher's take

Edinburgh U Film Society (Stephen Townsend)

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a towering triumph of a motion picture. It has the definite stamp of class about it and stands out as one of the greatest war pictures ever made. The first of David Lean's epics, it is primarily set in a Japanese World ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Stephen Townsend)

DVD Talk (Gil Jawetz)

Bridge on the River Kwai is the first film that I've been tempted to start off my review with "It is my honor to present to you..." It's one of a handful of films that can be considered a monumental classic. It ranks number eleven on the British Film ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Talk (Gil Jawetz)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Oddly enough, it's hardly about a bridge at all. And though the building of a magnificent wooden bridge -- by British and other Allied soldiers being held by the Japanese as prisoners of war -- has a supporting role, Alec Guinness won his only ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI isn't so much a war movie, as it is a character study of men who let their sense of duty grow into an obsession that blinds them to the big picture. Alec Guinness gives one of the great performances of his career as Colonel ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)

MovieFreak.com (Horatio Smithee)

One of my favorite movies and contains some of the finest acting I've ever seen, especially Alec Guinness. A perfect film. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at MovieFreak.com (Horatio Smithee)

BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

While "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is undoubtedly a fine piece of entertainment, it does sanitise the crimes committed against the POWs held in that region. The 'Maps & Military Strategy' feature allows you to move across vital locations along the ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

Movie-Vault.com (Arturo García Lasca)

There have been many films about the World War II, of the ones I've seen this is by far the one that was made the shortest time after the War. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is probably the only war film I've seen where the most important aspect ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Movie-Vault.com (Arturo García Lasca)

Movie Reviews UK

Set in wartime Burma, a railroad building prison camp is the scene for an almighty tussle between two equally crazy, power obsessed commanding officers. In the middle of the steaming jungle, Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) leads his men into Prison Camp ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Movie Reviews UK

DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

This movie was so popular when it was made, it inspired a joke every school kid knew: "Why'd the little girl cut onions in the river? To see 'The Bridge on the River Kwai.'" Over four decades later the movie still holds up as one of the best war ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)

There are certain movies that have made a lasting and profound impact upon the collective film audience. These movies have reshaped the way films are made and how people see them. One such film is the Bridge over the River Kwai. Chosen as number 13 in ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)

Orbital Reviews

Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) must build a bridge over the river Kwai so that Japanese railroads can carry supplies through the region. Saito runs a prisoner camp that has worked its men to death in a few cases and most of the others have died of ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Orbital Reviews

digitallyOBSESSED.com (Mark Zimmer)

It's commonplace for a film to be less profound than the original book from which it is adapted; the author has the luxury of unlimited pages to make his points, whereas the filmmaker must accomplish it during the span of two to three hours in all but ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at digitallyOBSESSED.com (Mark Zimmer)

Nick's Flick Picks (Nick Davis)

Still, The Bridge on the River Kwai had me gripping my seat more than most pictures in recent memory-in fact, just as much as those astounding battle sequences in Saving Private Ryan. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Nick's Flick Picks (Nick Davis)

TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

This intelligent and exciting WWII tale, masterfully helmed by Lean (at the start of his "epic" period), features a splendid performance from Guinness as Col. Nicholson, a British officer who has surrendered with his regiment to the Japanese in Burma in ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

Fulvue Drive-in

Sometimes the greatest films ever made are the ones that you only see a few times. Not because you do not really want to see them that often, but rather because when you do see it, you experience something very real, very powerful. That experience then ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Fulvue Drive-in

ToxicUniverse.com (John Nesbit)

A simple question perhaps, but it does focus on the most important aspect of Lean's films. They may fill a large canvas, but in the end, it's all about character. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (John Nesbit)

Parent Previews

Violence is inevitable in this genre, and the film does contain depictions of death and injuries with minimal gore, as well as gaunt bodies of underfeed and wounded labors. (Inappropriate moral behavior that often accompanies stories of ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Parent Previews

Doug Pratt's Laserdisc Review

David Lean's first widescreen epic was long been available in a yellowed, scanned-and-cropped format, but the film's artistic power was lost under those conditions and the movie wasn't very fun to watch. The letterboxed presentation is thrilling and ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Doug Pratt's Laserdisc Review

DVDwolf (Rob Paul)

I have a friend whom I will call Colin as this is the name his parents gave to him. Now Colin often surprises me with some of the movies he hasn't yet seen...a film problem which he attributes to 'gaps' in his viewing. These so-called gaps have proven ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVDwolf (Rob Paul)

DVD Verdict (Barrie Maxwell)

The Bridge on the River Kwai starring Cary Grant as Shears and Charles Laughton as Nicholson. It boggles the mind, but those are some of the possibilities first contemplated. In fact, half of the actors in Hollywood and Britain appear to have been ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Verdict (Barrie Maxwell)

Apollo Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a noble film whose execution is flawless. The great Alec Guinness plays Colonel Nicholson, a British commander imprisoned in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Apollo Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)

DVD Review e-zine

For over three years now, Columbia TriStar Home Video has been one of the few publishers who have supplied a steady stream of classic movies to DVD fans. Although the market for those classic movies has traditionally been very limited since DVD fans do ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Review e-zine

Chicago Reader (Dave Kehr)

For what it is, it ain't bad, though it serves mainly as an illustration of the ancient quandary of revisionist moviemakers: if all you do is systematically invert cliches, you simply end up creating new ones. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Chicago Reader (Dave Kehr)

Yellow Cubicle Reviews

The classic tale of an English army imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp and forced to build a bridge. Almost everybody has seen this movie so that means it is a good movie. The direction by Lean captures the landscape and emotions of the characters ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Yellow Cubicle Reviews

Karl Rackwitz

I want to correct what I wrote last year in my retrospective of David Lean's war picture. I still think that "The Bridge on the River Kwai" doesn't deserve being the number 13 in the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American movies. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Karl Rackwitz

Christian Spotlight on the Movies

Set in Burma (actually filmed in Ceylon), this fictional WWII story (by Pierre Boulle, author of Planet of the Apes) deals with the clash of two cultures as British prisoners are forced to build a railroad bridge for their Japanese captors. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Christian Spotlight on the Movies

Salon (Michael Sragow)

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is an epic masterpiece that rests on the electric, black-comic relationship between British POW Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) and Japanese commandant Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Nicholson at first seems like a ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Salon (Michael Sragow)

Reel.com DVD review (James Plath)

In 1956, when Alec Guinness (of Obi-Wan Kenobi fame) was asked to play the ranking British officer in a film about a World War II Japanese prison camp, he wasn't the producer's first choice. That's because prior to The Bridge on the River Kwai, ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Reel.com DVD review (James Plath)

filmcritic.com

Oddly enough, it's hardly about a bridge at all. And though the building of a magnificent wooden bridge -- by British and other Allied soldiers being held by the Japanese as prisoners of war -- has a supporting role, Alec Guinness won his only ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at filmcritic.com

Quick Reviews (J.D. Funari)

Alec Guinness is especially good in this classic war movie. Character tension at camp is the strongest attribute but is discarded right when it gets interesting for lesser characters; makes up with suspenseful finish. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Quick Reviews (J.D. Funari)

Films on Disc (Stuart J. Kobak)

I have carried the whistling theme of Colonel Bogie's march with me through all the years since my first adolescent exposure to the masterfully compelling The Bridge on the River Kwai. Hearing Colonel Nicholson's troops once again whistling the tune ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Films on Disc (Stuart J. Kobak)

Britmovie

Based loosely on the true story of the construction of the Bangkok-Rangoon railway, A Bridge on the River Kwai portrays British soldiers held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Burma during 1943. They are ordered to build a bridge across the River ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Britmovie

Time Out (--)

A classic example of a film that fudges the issues it raises. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Time Out (--)

DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")

In times of war, prisoners of war are sometimes used to complete manual labor tasks, such as hauling supplies and constructing items such as bridges and shacks. Such is the case here, as a team of British prisoners of war are forced to build an important ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")

DVD Talk (Scott Weinberg)

Forever intent on finding new ways in which to package old DVDs into something new and swanky, the folks over at Sony Home Entertainment decided to release two separate "WWII 60th Anniversary Collection" box sets. This particular set offers Fred ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD Talk (Scott Weinberg)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

The last words in David Lean's ``The Bridge on the River Kwai'' are ``Madness! Madness ... madness!'' Although the film's two most important characters are both mad, the hero more than the villain, we're not quite certain what is intended by that ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

IndependentCritics.com (Richard Propes)

Frequently, I do not agree with the Academy Award for Best Picture. In fact, I should go back through all the awards presented since my birth to see how many I agree with over the years. This film, actually released before my birth, is a film I ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at IndependentCritics.com (Richard Propes)

filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

The Bridge on the River Kwai is undeniably a very good movie. The cinematography is excellent, with many distant crane shots that can only be accomplished with outdoor location filming, a swarming cast of extras, and large, expensive sets... ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

Crazy for Cinema

Even though this film won many Best Picture awards the year it was released, and is considered a classic, I have never been very interested in sitting through it. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Crazy for Cinema

BFI Screen Online

David Lean's plans to film Richard Mason's novel, The Wind Cannot Read, for Alexander Korda had come to nothing. However, his new project was also to have a jungle setting, and also brought his first collaboration with legendary producer Sam Spiegel, ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at BFI Screen Online

About.com Home - DVD Review (Ivana Redwine)

This boxed set deepened my appreciation of Lean's ability to create movies of epic grandeur. All three films are absorbing stories set against spectacular backdrops, but they are more than mere spectacle-all three are thematically rich. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at About.com Home - DVD Review (Ivana Redwine)

TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

This intelligent and exciting WWII tale, masterfully helmed by Lean (at the start of his 'epic' period), features a splendid performance from Guinness. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

Austin Chronicle (--)

The big screen is the place to see this widescreen epic. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Austin Chronicle (--)

Zap2it.com (Michael Szymanski)

One of the most rousing and inspiring war films, this is also a psychological battle of wills. The intensity between Hayakawa and Guinness is captivating. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Zap2it.com (Michael Szymanski)

Karl Rackwitz

In this year's July the American Film Institute (AFI) chose David Lean's war picture "The Bridge on the River Kwai" as number 13 on its list of the 100 greatest American movies. Not to mention that "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is a British ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at Karl Rackwitz

DVD MovieGuide

David Lean first opened me to the viewing possibilities of older films. Actually, that's not completely true, as I'd checked out quite a few "vintage" movies prior to my revelatory experience. ...read the complete Bridge on the River Kwai movie review at DVD MovieGuide

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Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) Rank 5 Reviews

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