Movie #12: The Bridge on the River Kwai

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The Bridge on the River Kwai


Date Watched: 07/11/24

Format: Streaming on TV via Prime Video

Like watching Titanic, you know how this one is going to end.

Directing (⭐⭐⭐):

Credit where credit is due.  The international cast and location were handled well, especially for the 1950s.  For some reason I was left wanting something "grander" and I just did not get it with Lean's directing.

Writing (⭐⭐):

Blacklist troubles and writing in secret are not the excuse.  This was just a bad script.  Holden's character had promise but became pointless.  His backstory was a joke.  Ultimately left unsatisfied at the end.  Trust me, I don't need a happy ending, but I want to feel invested in whatever the ending is.  Kwai did not do that.

Acting (⭐⭐⭐):

Not much to be had.  Guinness was solid.  Like I noted with the writing, the whole British rescue scenes, dialogue, and acting were just bad.  I actually thought the Japanese could have been a little more brutal and a little less likable.

Wildcard (⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Cinematography, editing, and score.  I don't know who to give couple credit to, but the combination of all three of these provided a sense of tension to very predictable film.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda:

12 Angry Men all day long.  That film is a master class in writing, directing, and acting.

Ranking:

1) Forrest Gump (Movie #5) 20⭐

2) Gladiator (Movie #11) 17⭐

3) Gone with the Wind (Movie #1) 17⭐

4) On the Waterfront (Movie #3) 16⭐

5) Moonlight (Movie #9) 14⭐

6) Amadeus (Movie #4) 13⭐

7) Shakespeare in Love (Movie #2) 13⭐

8) Rain Man (Movie #7) 12⭐

9) The Bridge on the River Kwai (Movie #12) 12⭐

10) The Apartment (Movie #10) 11⭐

11) Wings (Movie #6) 10⭐

12) Midnight Cowboy (Movie #8) 9⭐

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