David Lean will never be replaced

Rating: 10/10 (8 March 2004)

Another David Lean masterpiece (that's all he seems to make). I think in some ways this was the first great war Epic made. The great thing about David Lean epics is that he refuses to use cheap special effects or miniatures. Everything must be authentic in a Lean Epic. That included the construction, and destruction, of an actual full sized bridge. The only thing at all that dates this movie is the use of Day-For-Night, which looks very obvious by today's standards. Other than that, even on technical merits, Bridge On The River Kwai is one of the greatest movies of all time.

Alec Guiness not just deserved his Oscar for Best Actor, but I think he'd probably be worthy of a Best Actor of all time award, if it were ever handed out. There's one thing that David Lean does in all of his movies, even dating back to Brief Encounter. That is the use of unredeemable characters. It's not to say that everyone is a bad guy, just that all the characters have major flaws. Nobody can really be looked at as a hero. This is true in River Kwai with all the lead characters. Nicholson has pride and honor, but his obsession with The Bridge leads him to basically betraying his own country by aiding the Japanese. Shears is strong, but a coward. Warden cares more about a challenge than winning the war. And while Saito is the head Japanese officer, and technically the villain, he has several moments of redemption. You see that he is just another soldier doing his job.
What River Kwai has that epics today can't duplicate is a perfect balance. There's the right mixture of action, drama, comedy, and political commentary. I have seen this movie so many times and I'm incapable of getting sick of it. #4 on my All-Time list.