Pure madness from Alec Guinness

Rating: 8/10 (2 September 2014)

Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) is the cruel commander in charge of a POW camp in Burma. Shears (William Holden) is an American who has a dim view of the whole war after losing most of his men in the camp. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is the highest ranking British officer who leads his men into the camp. He insists on maintaining the Geneva Conventions and refuses to entertain escape. Saito orders the prisoner to build a bridge. It's a struggle between Saito and Nicholson for his limited control about whether officers can be forced to do manual labor. The bridge building is not going well with the men working half-heartedly and sabotage. Finally Saito agrees to give Nicholson command as he task his men to build the best bridge possible. Meanwhile Shears manages to escape the camp. He is blackmailed to guide a demolition squad back to blow up the bridge.
Alec Guinness is truly great in his performance. He is stubborn and principled. The problem is that his principles does nothing but drive him to help the Japanese and into madness. His foil Saito is just as mad. All of it culminates into one of the most compelling scene of Nicholson's breakdown.