ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

andrewpeterfarrow One of the most powerful movies I've ever seen, on human spirit through the most horrendous circumstances. Based on a true story, thought provoking, a must see

Tcarts76 This movie totally slid by me when it came out and I am usually pretty good at spotting good war movies. It was a really well crafted movie that kind of felt like a realistic version of the factually flawed movie "The Bridge over the River Kwai. No catchy whistle tunes, just the cold harshness of the non Geneva convention signing Japanese Imperial Army.The story follows a group of British soldiers as they surrendered to the Japanese and came to suffer the war as slaves in a POw camp. It illustrates the cold, in human treatment they suffered and how they survived in the face of such adversity and evil. It is a great tale, as gut-wrenching as it is, of both the evil humans do to each other and the strength that we can have to survive.The movie was filmed pretty well, and the actors, especially Robert Carlyle gave strong performances. As good as it was I still do think there was room for improvement, and it was still a somewhat sanitized version of what life in these camps were really like. Perhaps that was to get through the censors or the just didn't want to create a controversy or face a backlash for being to grotesque, such as the controversy "Saving Private Ryan," received for being to realistic in regards to it's D-Day scenes.I do think it is a movie worth watching for the history alone.Like my reviews, hate em? Comments, hate mail, or have a DVD you would like reviewed? send me an e-mail at : [email protected]

Jason Vaughn As a history buff I've seen a variety of war and POW movies. WWII movies happen to be a favorite as they seem to show special spirit of the nations in a hard fought fight against the Axis powers.Out of all of the war movies I've seen this one holds a great place in my heart.1) The story wasn't solely focused on an American soldier. While I love our soldiers many nations joined together to fight in WWII. It was really nice to see other nationalities hold the banner of freedom out in such a movie.2) The opening scene captures my heart.3) The soundtrack is one of the greatest I've heard outside the Thin Red Line.4) Kiefer Sutherland portrayal in the latter half of the movie is the greatest since the early days of his portrayal as Jack Baurer.5) This movie beyond anything else shares the greatest picture of redemption I've yet to see.I was in awe of this story throughout. It captivated my attention and refused to let it go. I've never enjoyed a movie enough to write a review on IMDb, but this broke every mold I know.

Edward The movie covers an interesting - and important - episode in the history of the war with Japan, and it ought to be realistic, being based on the actual experiences of Captain Ernest Gordon as a Japanese prisoner of war. But it is let down by a clichéd, lightweight script, more suited to the playful inanities of Dad's Army than the harrowing deprivations and violence of life in a concentration camp.The direction and editing too are amateurish: the end result is a disconnected sequence of scenes, with little narrative or emotional development. Only Robert Carlyle's passion, James Cosmo's gravity and the Japanese commanders' brutal aggression make some of the early scenes convincing, shockingly so. But realism soon evaporates as we see fit, healthy, well-fed men suddenly start dying (which has to be explained with voice-over); we find the prisoners mysteriously transported back and forth between the camp and the railroad construction site, over a hundred kilometers away; and the soldiers who labor hard by day are wakeful and eager of an evening to indulge in philosophical study.I wonder though why I am almost alone in dissenting? It seems that the movie's wholesome homespun morals appeal too readily to sentimental Christians.