One of the greatest prison films ever made!

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2014)

This film is nothing short of one of the greatest pieces of cinematic genius I have ever seen. It shows two sides of many things. Take for example Colonel Nicholson. Colonel Nicholson is a savior to his fellow British soldiers, yet he can also be viewed as a traitor. Commander Shears who was a former prisoner at the camp, and later leads the attack on the bridge, was impersonating an officer. A court martial offense. But he also led the United States and the United Kingdom to victory by blowing up the bridge. Colonel Saito, who was the commandant of the prison camp, was a sadist and was a monster. But he was willing to make necessary compromises with Colonel Nicholson on the construction of the bridge. Anyway let's look at the plot. A new group of Royal Army soldiers have been captured by the Imperial Japanese Army and have been placed in a Japanese prison camp. In other words hell. Anyway the commandant Colonel Saito, and the commanding officer of the prisoners Colonel Nicholson, don't agree with each other. Saito wants all prisoners, including officers to work on a bridge that will connect from the island the camp is on to another island I think. But as this is against the Geneva Convention, Colonel Nicholson won't allow it. Saito retaliates by putting the British officers in confinement. And putting Colonel Nicholson in the oven. Meanwhile US sailor Commander Shears, who was already a prisoner at the camp escapes. When he makes it back to an allied base they give him a mission to blow up the bridge that the prisoners are working on. Colonel Nicholson eventually agrees to Saito's commands and officers work on the bridge as well. It end in a spectacular battle against the allied special forces, and the allied prisoners who seem to have forgotten their allegiance. I highly recommend this movie.