The Bridge on the River Kwai

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The Bridge on the River Kwai

PG

1957

2h 41m

War

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

102 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Adaptation of the Pierre Boulle 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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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Jul 28, 2022

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.

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Richard L. Coe

Washington Post

Jul 25, 2022

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.

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Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

Nov 17, 2021

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.

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André Bazin

Cahiers du Cinéma

Jun 15, 2023

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.

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

Jun 8, 2023

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.

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B.R. Crisler

Christian Science Monitor

Aug 17, 2022

For all of its grim setting and tragic conclusion, The Bridge on the River Kwai becomes a slyly humorous study in the limitations as well as the stoical splendors of the British “military mind."

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richard b

Sep 3, 2026

A great surprise of a film. Be ready, as this movie is quite long, but entertaining.

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Marsha

Sep 2, 2026

Masterpiece from the golden age of Hollywood.

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Netta F

Jul 28, 2024

Excellent drama with great acting!

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Ivan V

@KidReviewsEverything Sep 18, 2026

It's pretty close to a masterpiece, but the runtime and kinda sorta tonal shift in the middle bring it down a bit. Some shots linger on too long even when the effect on the audience has run its course. It's still amazing though; the first act is so compelling and interesting to see how the character dynamics evolve, and the movie is stunningly gorgeous almost 70 years on. It captures amazing landscape shots with so much in the frame, and the climax of the movie is genuinely thrilling. It boasts interesting ideas about pride and authority, making it stand the test of time. It's not my kind of movie, and it is my first David Lean feature film I've seen, but I still recognise its brilliance. It's a must see!

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Chris H

@RT60525826 Sep 5, 2026

Stunning and thought provoking. The scenes in the camp with Alec Guinness are spellbinding, which by contrast reduce the rest of the film, which would be more than acceptable in any other derring-do production, to mere filler. That's a shame in a way, but it's just that Guinness is wonderful. The scenery is beautiful too.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 4, 2026

An excellent Movie about building a bridge over the River Kwai.

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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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Synopsis

Adaptation of the Pierre Boulle 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
Producer: Sam Spiegel
Screenwriter: Pierre Boulle, Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Horizon Films, Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: British English
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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