Popular reviews

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  Review by Charlie 🎄 ★★½

  I just couldn’t get into this. Interesting enough story, and the performances were good, I just found myself paying less attention to it as it went on.

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  Review by Charlie 🎄 ★★½

  I genuinely hate when I watch a film, for what I think is the first time, only to open Letterboxd and be proven wrong. 

  I still have the same take though, great performances but not enough to make it stand out really.

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  Review by Cory Walter

  I have seen this a number of times but it's been at least 12-15 years...

  I remember it being pretty good. Time for a rewatch

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  Review by Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 ★★½ 3

  Films about Japanese POW or more specifically those set to work on the infamous Thai-Burmese "Death Railway", are ones that have a special resonance to me because of a personal interest; I had an 'uncle' (though technically, I imagine, he was a great or even great great uncle; our family tree is an incredibly gnarly, many rooted one) who was pressed into work on the railway following his capture by the barbaric Bushido following Japanese army. I vaguely recall him from my infant childhood as a loving and kind elderly man, and something of a hero figure to me and my family. I also recall how his wife would remark that, when he was finally returned to these shores after…

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  Review by justinC ★★★★

  Based on true events. This film tells a story from not the war part but solely on the vantage point of the allied POW's captured by the Japaneese military during WW2, POW's forced to build the famous "railroad of death" while testing every man physically and spiritually, this film shows the brutality of being a POW. All the acting is really good especially from Ciaran McMenamin who plays Capt. Ernest Gordon. This film really flys under the radar, I usually don't miss any war films. So this was a nice surprise for me. It is a must watch for people who follow the history of wars!

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  Review by Dan O'Neill ★★½

  Basically a remake of Bridge on the River Kwai, but with more Brits. And violence. And perhaps a gay Mark Strong performance? Maybe?

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  Review by Aly Dematti ★★★★

  I’m not normally someone that seeks out or really enjoys war movies, but when I saw that Robert Carlyle and Kiefer Sutherland were the lead actors in this movie that was enough to make me wanna give it a watch.

  I can happily say that this is one of the most enjoyable war movies I’ve ever seen, and if you’ve seen it and know how dark and violent it gets you may think “enjoyable” is an odd word to use to describe my experience watching it. What I mean by “enjoyable” is that it was way more straightforward and well paced compared to some other war movies. The fact that it’s only 2 hours long versus 2.5+ like most war…

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  Review by adrian ★★★

  trainspotting for scottish war obsessed dads

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  Review by Andrew ★★★

  For a film dealing with P.O.W.s, there is a shocking lack of emotional gravitas to be found anywhere. Equally as surprising is how much the film manages to feel twenty to thirty years older than it is, with the epic scale stylings evoking eighties best picture hopefuls. It runs shallow as hell, which is a shame because the story is interesting and deserved a more staunch telling.

  I did enjoy the large production scale. How could I not? The sets, costumes, and effects were enough of a spectacle for me to enjoy. The story, even though it does not get near the justice it deserves, is straightforward and intriguing enough that even if I was not super invested, I was intrigued. There is a better film here. Maybe even a masterpiece in hiding. David L. Cunningham may never come close to mining all that potential, but he crafted a perfectly serviceable movie in the meantime.

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  Review by nmassey13 ★★★★

  Compelling film. Really powerful story about how the gospel can bring hope to one of the most difficult and hopeless situations imaginable. Just an honest and genuinely inspiring film. Also a true story, based on a memoir by a Scottish soldier named Ernest Gordon

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  Review by TJ ★★★½

  As for what this films deliver in storytelling and portrayal it is quite similar to The Bridge over the River Kwai (1957) which in my opinion shows a better picture of the progress of forced labor, and with a more interesting story plot. Though both films do a great job of showing the harsh abuse and actions toward the POW's. I argue this one does it better.

  The soundtrack is good, and so is the acting among the cast. Yet I couldn't manage to like the main character played by McMenamin. Due to his way of speaking and his personality. The film has some high-point moments with the relationships between each prisoner, and their point of view when it comes…

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  Review by Domenic Mezzanotte

  Just when you think I won’t remember another movie I’ve seen and not logged: a memory cutscene is triggered. I’m currently watching Amistad and thinking about how my high school wisely showed only about half of it, as we were a lil young for a lot of those scenes, but a few years later with parental permission: this movie! I remember it being quite stirring/effective and shan’t rewatch to shake this notion.