One of the All Time Best

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 2004)

10 out of 10
British P.O.W.'s at a Japanese island prison are ordered to build a bridge for the Japanese army yet the bridge and the construction of it only serve as a metaphor for human nature and the overall human condition.
This film is actually split up into six very distinct parts. The first and by far the most interesting is the clash of wills between Colonel Nicholson and Colonel Saito. The second part is the actual building of the bridge while the third is the planning for it's destruction. The fourth is the slow and dangerous advancement through the jungle by the people hired to destroy the bridge. The fifth consists of the actual completion of the bridge while the sixth deals with it's destruction.
It is really rare for a film to grab your attention right away and hold it consistently all the way through. Even through three hours length it never has a slow moment and thankfully is not filled with needless extraneous footage either. It is one of the most compacted, tightly edited three hour films you will ever see. Finally Director Lean has a found a story that is strong enough and profound enough to match his very expansive visual style.
This film is tops in literally every aspect. There is a terrific music score, lush photography, great location, acting, editing, and some really good special effects. It is is also just a great all around adventure that balances it's profound moments with some really good action. The ending is especially powerful and thought provoking. There is also, believe it or not, some really good comedy. Pay special attention to that calender in Hayakawa's office and how it changes from month to month.
Of course there is some strong doubt whether any of this could really happen in a actual P.O.W. camp especially with that big variety show the prisoners put on after the bridge's completion. Yet the film still represents some very universal issues. The animosity between the Guiness character and the Hayakawa one is the best because it shows how even with the greatest of adversaries they are more alike than they are different. It also shows that how sometimes the one thing that really separates people more than anything is nothing more than circumstance. It is also great at how it examines that even with the strongest, most disciplined, and most intimidating of people they can still have weaknesses somewhere. This is also a film that makes terrific use of it's silent moments and makes it one of it's strongest elements.