An amazing story, great characters, but very slow paced

Rating: 6/10 (28 March 2015)

Most people know Angelina Jolie playing in action movies. However, she takes the directorial path in this drama set in World War II. Jack O'Connell plays an Olympic track runner, who joins the army during WW2 in the pacific theater. When his crew face a tragic plane crash, him and his remaining crew members are stranded on life rafts, only to get picked up by the Japanese and sent to a prison camp.
This movie was entertaining at times, but I felt it could have been done better. It was very slow at times, to the point where I began to lose interest. However, the plot was so beautifully written that I could not take my eyes off the screen (until the end). On the positive side, the characters were quite amazing too. Jack O'Connell did a great job as the main character. I personally think I could have landed in Oscar. It was very upsetting to watch the character struggle through the Japanese soldiers' maltreatment. However, the settings were quite authentic and the way the soldiers smacked and brutally beat down the prisoners gave the film a sense of emotional realism.
Maybe this film would have been better if it was directed by Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood. All in all, the film wasn't bad and it is probably watching. However, I would not recommend this to children under 14 because it does pretty intense at times.