Delayed Reaction: The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Pitch: The story of the POWs forced to build a bridge for the Japanese and the soldiers tasked with destroying that bridge.

I'll admit, I missed some of the point of this. Alec Guiness is superb. The bridge explosion is impressive, especially knowing that it was all real (No computers enhancing this). It maintained my interest the whole time. I really enjoyed the ending, with how nearly Colonel Nicholson ruined the whole plan.

I think I'm just not adjusted enough to Hays Code cinema. After seeing something like Unbroken, the conditions in this POW camp seem quaint. The casting of William Holden as a random American soldier felt manufactured (I'd bet money on that character not being an American in the book). Most of Guiness' character is created in the performance and isn't there on the page. Perhaps I was just expecting too much.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend