All worth it for the great finale

Rating: Null/10 (26 June 2001)

This movie turned into a mess halfway through when William Holden's character gets out of the prison camp and in touch with the British army. Not only did it add a lot of unnecessary length to the film, but made it a lot less interesting. Fortunately, Lean builds up that magnificent scene at the end, which makes the rest of the film worth sitting through.
I admired Guinness' performance and not much else. Possibly the most over-hyped war film of our time. If you want to see a film that takes on a more psychological aspect towards war, watch Malick's inconsistent, but very effective 'The Thin Red Line'.
*** / *****