Decades since its release in 1957 critics are still consider this war film to be one of the best of all time, but it’s about to disappear from streaming services.
The award-winning film set against the backdrop of the Second World War, The Bridge on the River Kwai, is a ‘masterpiece’, according to modern-day viewers. Five-star reviews flood Rotten Tomatoes so much so that the epic war movie has a near-perfect overall review score of 96%, all these years later.
The film was written by Pierre Boulle, the man behind Planet of The Apes, and directed by none other than one of Britain’s most recognised directors, David Lean CBE. It’s believed this dynamic team, alongside its ‘superb’ cast, is what helped to make The Bridge on the River Kwai film a total standout in the genre.
An impressed viewer took to Rotten Tomatoes to share: “There will never be another movie that approaches this one in ambition and grand scope. The screenplay, acting, location, and setting – it’s as if designed by providence. Just brilliant.”
While another viewer claimed: “Not much to say other than that the bridge on the river Kwai is an absolute masterpiece in every aspect.” In agreement, someone else wrote: “The best war movie I’ve ever watched. A true masterpiece!”
Set in 1943, a group of British prisoners of war, led by Colonel Nicholson, arrive in Thailand at a Japanese prison camp with horrific conditions. They are ordered by their captors to build a bridge of huge importance to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway but plot to sabotage the big build.
Under the leadership of their colonel, the men are persuaded to do a good job in order to help build morale and lift the spirit of the camp. He himself endures extreme torture from the guards in a statement to not give in to his principles. What they don’t know is that the allied forces are plotting a daring commando raid to destroy it all.
Starring as Colonel Nicholson is the legendary Hollywood actor, Alec Guinness, in what viewers are calling a ‘masterclass’ of a performance. Guinness was considered to be one of the film industry’s greats, with numerous accolades and roles in some of the highest-regarded films of all time, leading him to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts.
A review reads: “Hayakawa, Holden and Hawkins are all superb, but it’s the towering performance of Guinness which elevates this movie to classic status and guarantees its place in movie immortality. Once watched, it’s a film you will never forget.”
Sharing the screen with him is William Holden, who in the 1950s was considered to be a huge name for drawing in money at the box office. These big names helped to bring the wartime story to life and solidify The Bridge on the River Kwai as a culturally significant movie.
A critic claimed that the movie has “One of the greatest and most satisfying endings in all film history”. Another added that they felt the 1957 film is “One of the great, action-packed epics of the late 50s”.
With just days until the film leaves Amazon Prime on July 1, there’s no better time than now to sink your teeth into the ‘masterpiece’ that is The Bridge on the River Kwai.