To End All Wars

What if I told you you will watch a war film but won't see so many war scenes? Would you believe me? Would you say "this can't be a war film!"? Well, believe me, TO END ALL WARS is this film! It's a very good WAR film where shots and guns are not seen very much. Maybe this movie should be named a "drama war" or anything like a "military drama". But let alone the genre. The important thing is to enjoy this nice movie with a different development: a Scottish group of soldiers are sent to Thailand to fight the Japanese force but ends up being kept as captive. The soldiers are forced to build a railway for the Japanese but some of them plan to escape from that hell. When they're together at night, they discuss what to do for their future but they don't seem to agree about it. The discussions (and arguments) arise and each of the prisoners defends his point of view. The acting is very good and our attention is 100% towards the story.

It was not until the end of the film that I discovered that this was a real life account by Ernest Gordon of the horrors suffered by the allied POW's building the Burma Railroad.

No film can ever show how terrible it was, despite the attempt to film in sequence with the actors dieting in order to lose weight as time went on. The actors would have had to do three years manual labor in the jungle heat for 18 hours a day on 1,000 (or less) calorie meatless slop, while suffering dysentery, beri beri, pellagra, tropical ulcers, regular beatings and other cruelty, all the time unaware of what was happening at home or how the war was going. They lived under the constant fear of being killed once they were no longer useful. By the time they were liberated the survivors were walking skeletons. Why the filmmakers could not find more skinny extras among the thousands available always puzzles me. When the men were lined up for roll call they could have put the emaciated looking actors at the front, and kept the well built lads at the back, dressed in rags to hide their muscular bodies.

I deducted two stars for the aforemention goof, and for the liberation in August 1945, appearing right after the dedication ceremony for the completion of the railroad in October 1943, at which the men were told they would be moved to other camps. Perhaps it was an editing slip up, but the B-24s arrived to bomb the camps, after which another flight arrived dropping leaflets immediately after.

It is a credit to the filmmakers that this relatively low budget movie conveys this terrible period so well. Although few, if any men, who were prisoners working on the Burma Railroad are still alive, despite the disbelief of several commenters this actually happened and should not be forgotten. This should be a "must see" in school history classes.

To End All Wars is a remarkably bold--almost brazen--film that deserves a wider distribution. As far as war movies go, it is much better than Thin Red Line, which tries to be thoughtful but only achieves a meaningless ambivalence. To End All Wars conveys its message in a clear yet profound way.

As a Christian film, it shines as the boldest offering I have ever seen. Whereas popular depictions of religion (Seventh Heaven, anyone?) might mention an unspecified god every now and then, this film uses unmistakable metaphors and symbolism that blur the line between analogy and reality. It is one thing to put a cross in a shot. It is another thing completely to depict someone making sacrifices for his friends.

Ultimately, To End All Wars makes no compromises, neither to those who think its rating does not match its message nor not to those who think it is too preachy. Some things need to be preached.

In a Japanese POW camp, a Scottish band of soldiers learns about a very different culture - the hard way. They also learn from the more refined and educated among them the meaning of serving each other and their enemies, to the point of self-sacrifice.

The film begins rather slowly (and overly-sentimental) but becomes an incredible story with great acting and characters, powerful philosophy and imagery. Many gripping moments of self-realization, facing reality and appreciation for life and death. The depth of relationships, self-sacrifice and lessons learned leaves the audience with a lot to process. Overall, very inspiring and well-made.

"To End all Wars": Starring Robert Carlyle ("Go Now"), Keifer Sutherland, and MANY talented men. As the film began, it felt like a cousin to "Bridge on the River Kwai", but the plot slowly morphed to an even MORE complex set of ethical issues, with divisions not seen in that great 1950's film. I see this new one as more related to the movie "Andersonville" - our own true American tragedy of a P.O.W. camp during the Civil War - and what THAT experience demanded of those interned. "To End all Wars" is certainly an anti-war film, and a true story, but looks at many individuals for the complexity of dealing with the horror...and offers bits of consolation...where it can be found. Its elegant ending reminded me of "Schindler's List". "To End all Wars" deserves to be considered a PROFOUND film.