The Bridge on the River Kwai

PG

Released Dec 18, 1957

2h 41m

War

Drama

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List

96%

105 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Adaptation of the Pierre Bouelle novel about POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American officers plot to blow up the structure, but the commander of the bridge's construction has different plans.

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Critics Consensus

This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean.

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Aender S

An absolute classic this one with an outstanding Alec Guinness.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

David W

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/11/24

Full Review

Ciaran T

An absolute classic Great cast full of stiff upper lip British

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/23

Full Review

Doug B

I have watched this movie several times over the years since its release. The more I watch it, the more I dislike it. I find some parts of it to be fanciful and lacking in reality. I get bored watching it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

james o

I recently watched it again. Although it is fictional and I knew the ending, it was still interesting and dramatic.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/20/23

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Ron P

Extremely well done, especially given this 1957 movie didn't have the benefits (?) of modern CGI and special effects. Great characters and great performances. A war picture without war, instead focusing on the men's motivations and morality. I hope they got the train in one take.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

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David Lean

Director

William Holden

Commander

Alec Guinness

Colonel Nicholson

Sessue Hayakawa

Colonel Saito

Jack Hawkins

Major Warden

James Donald

Major Clipton

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The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - A Good Life

2:13

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - Kill Him! Kill Him!

2:13

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - What Have I Done?

2:10

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - A Lot to Learn About the Army

2:12

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - The Coward's Code

2:13

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - Live Like a Human Being

2:13

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - He's Done It!

2:12

The Bridge on the River Kwai: Official Clip - Dinner with Saito

2:13

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The Bridge on the River Kwai: Trailer 1

3:23

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

The film is rather misshapen, particularly in the sections featuring William Holden, and the action that detonates the explosive finish isn't quite clear. However, Alec Guinness is compelling as the English Colonel Nicholson.

Jul 28, 2022

Full Review

Richard L. Coe

Washington Post

This gripping tale will keep you tied to your seat thanks to the brilliant effectiveness with which Director David Lean has tied together script, casting and technical demands.

Jul 25, 2022

Full Review

Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

The madness of war has never been shown more graphically than in this Pierre Boulle screenplay from his own novel, set and filmed on location in Ceylon.

Nov 17, 2021

Full Review

André Bazin

Cahiers du Cinéma

There are very few examples each year of cinematic enterprises that are carried out with such intelligence and above all with such care. But the quality of this film must ultimately be put in its artistic place, and that place is not the highest.

Jun 15, 2023

Full Review

Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

One of the great, action-packed epics of the late 50s, The Bridge on the River Kwai is an exceptional case study about the hysteria of war and the pride that comes before the fall.

Jun 8, 2023

Full Review

Amy Thomasson

InSession Film

One of the greatest and most satisfying endings in all film history...

Apr 25, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Adaptation of the Pierre Bouelle novel about POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American officers plot to blow up the structure, but the commander of the bridge's construction has different plans.

Director: David Lean
Screenwriter: Pierre Boulle, Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures, Horizon Films
Rating: PG
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 1957, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2013
Runtime: 2h 41m
Sound Mix: Surround, Mono, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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