A Bridge Built to History.

Rating: Null/10 (23 February 2003)

Before director David Lean (Oscar-winning) made "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1962, he created arguably the best film of the 1950s with "The Bridge on the River Kwai". The film is an intense World War II epic about a group of British POWs (led by Oscar-winner Alec Guinness) who are forced by the Japanese Military (led by Oscar-nominee Sessue Hayakawa) to build a railway bridge to assist the Axis Powers. Naturally Guinness, by the book all the way, tries to get out of the job by debating and using British wit. All that falls on deaf ears though as the bridge will be made. Guinness then decides to show that England is the greatest country on Earth by building the finest bridge possible. As all this goes on, American William Holden has been assigned to lead a group of troops into the jungle and destroy the bridge before it can transport supplies and troops for the enemy. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is an excellent film that shows the best of the 1950s. The 1950s were great cinematically because of large budgets and amazing spectacles. This film has that but is better than most other productions of the period due to top-notch writing, directing and out-of-this-world performances. Alec Guinness (best known for "Star Wars") had his greatest performance here. His character unwittingly becomes a willing ally to the enemy and starts to develop a subtle type of war fatigue that will directly affect all the other key players within the film's vast landscape. Outstanding and definitely memorable, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is one of the finest films ever produced. 5 stars out of 5.