To End All Wars - 7

This film is somewhat based on the book by the same name, and somewhat influenced by the film The Bridge over the River Kwai. It tells the story of Ernest Gordon and his unit as they are captured and forced to built a railway in a Japanese POW camp during WWII- "the war to end all wars." I had to read the book in a college class where we discussed the themes of the book: community, calling, giftedness, and selflessness. The amazing thing about the book, which is lost somewhat in the movie, is the selflessness that the prisoners developed, they were able to put others before their own survival. The theme that the film picks up on is the forgiveness and sacrifice that were needed to sustain hope, and ultimately their own lives. The intensity of the characters was exaggerated to make a simpler plot, but overall a good job of bringing the book to film. David Cunningham directs and Kiefer Sutherland stars as the American that has joined this Scottish regiment.