The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:41
Fresh:39
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.8/10
Consensus: This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean.
Runtime: 2 hrs 47 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: One of the all-time great war films, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is yet another classic from the marvelous David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO). The film is an outstanding, psychologically... [More]
Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa
Director: David Lean
Reviews for The Bridge on the River Kwai
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 5/5 |
A towering work. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Guinness, Lean and British war cinema have never been better. Full Review |
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A classic example of a film that fudges the issues it raises. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Lean achieves a fine balance of creating complex characters from a fine cast, while keeping the pace up throughout this long movie. Full Review |
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It is a whale of a story, and in the telling of it, British Director David Lean does a whale of a job. Full Review |
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A gripping drama, expertly put together and handled with skill in all departments. Full Review |
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5/5 |
One of THE great action sagas, and at the top of David Lean's form.
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B |
Antiheroic war epic. Full Review |
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For what it is, it ain't bad, though it serves mainly as an illustration of the ancient quandary of revisionist moviemakers: if all you do is systematically invert cliches, you simply end up creating new ones. Full Review |
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4/4 |
Alec Guinness' outstanding performance is one of the many things that work in David Lean's intriguing epic. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Still one of the most rousing war films, Lean's epic is rich in characters and marked by an ironic and ambiguous POV in the way that it depicts the conflict between Guinness, Hayakawa, and Holden, as individuals and symbols of their national cultures. Full Review |
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4.5/5 |
Alec Guinness won his only non-honorary Oscar for this film (did you know he'd be nominated for writing the following year?), and boy is it deserved. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Epic wartime storytelling at its most vibrant and satisfying. Full Review |
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5/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
One of the best war movies, mixed with one of the best action movies, mixed with one of Alex Guinness' best performances mixed with a killer score? One of the greats.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
Did Lean ever make a bad film?
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3/5 |
No review available.
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CommentLatest News for The Bridge on the River Kwai
October 25, 2007:
How Many Movies Have You Seen In Your Entire Life?
Newsweek critic David Ansen has courageously revealed the more quietly kept secret of every cinephile: his lifelong, bordering-on-eccentric, meticulous obsession with movies.... More...
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
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