Starring: Ciarán McMenamin, Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Strong (II), Yugo Saso Directed By: David L. Cunningham Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: June 15, 2004 Running Time: 117 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Description: Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle star in this explosive war film based on an amazing true story. Captured by the Japanese, a group of courageous soldiers are forced to build the infamous "Railway of Death" between Thailand and Burma during the height
Amazon.com: A Japanese P.O.W. camp during World War II becomes the battleground for the souls as well as the lives of its Scottish and British prisoners. Based on a true story, To End All Wars centers around Ernest Gordon (Ciaran McMenamin), a young soldier who wants to teach philosophy. When Gordon recovers from seeming death by illness, the other prisoners agree to become Grodon's pupils, studying Plato, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Gordon's superior officer, Ian Campbell (Robert Carlyle, Trainspotting, The Full Monty), scoffs at the increasingly pacificist bent of Gordon's teachings. Jim Reardon (Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Freeway), a lone American running a black market, is equally skeptical. But under the relentless brutality of the camp, the only way for the soldiers to survive is to find what gives their lives meaning. The strong performances of To End All Wars makes this moral conflict as vivid as any gun battle. --Bret Fetzer
decent film....but unfortunately drastically altered from book.... If I had never read the book (which happens to be FACT, it is written by Ernest Gordon himself), I would have thought this was a fine movie, and liked it.
but the movie has so successfully watered down the christianity of the book....the movie retained about 20% of the "religion".
While this may work fine for many other stories (I understand many audiences resent "religion" on screen).....this almost killed it. Because that was the whole point.
In the movie, the brutalized men become human again after reciting Shakespeare&Plato.... For Heaven's sake, it was the Gospels that they were actually reading!!!
I suppose it now will touch English Teachers deeply....but it no longer corresponds to reality...
ALso....two nonfactual messages were slipped into the movie that made it more palatable to Politically Correct people, but was very offensive, insulting the memory of dead men. First: the movie spreads the lie (originating from the grossly inaccurate film "Bridge over the river kwai") that the POW's gleefully helped the Jap's construction projects....projects that would help the Japs imperialist conquests of mass rape and civilian torture. (Do you know what the Japs did to the Chineses and Koreans? Its as evil top notch...ripped open pregnant women for sport, etc.) BUt in REALITY, Ernest GOrdon devoted a page of the book to DEBUNKING the whole lie. He clearly wrote that the men worked under watchful eyes of guards and whips, at point of bayonet, and whenever they could, SABOTAGED or shoddily built things on PURPOSE.
Second: at the end of the film, the POW's stare at the liberating Allied soldiers as if they were some aliens from Mars. There is a hint of hostility, and a feeling that the POWs have now all become peaceniks. BUT in REALITY, Ernest Gordon writes, they hoisted some stunned paratroopers onto their shoulders, and shouted themselves hoarse with joy, hoisting up a Union Jack onto the flagpole....
THere. I had to set the record straight.
I know the directors probably didn't want to be "preachy", but for heaven's sake, ERNEST GORDON BECAME A PREACHER. THAT IS WHAT HE WAS DOING IN THE DEATH CAMPS!!!
Btw, a good family friend of mine was converted by Ernest Gordon after the War. And yes, my Korean Grandparents suffered under the brutal Japanese Occupation, until being liberated by the Allies.
A Movie I Hope 20th Century Fox Painfully Regrets Not Releasing In The US--An Enjoyable, Must See Classic I came across the wonderful masterpiece by happenstance of "surfing" lists on Amazon. Seeing that the vast majority of the reviews were five stars and the film had Kiefer Sutherland, I decided to purchase "To End All Wars." I am so glad I did.
In preparing to write this review, I read the other reviews, starting with the one star reviews, to see what had already been emphasized--both positive and negative. I was taken aback at many of the comments made, and the "controversies" many viewers had with "To End All Wars." Call me jaded, or anything else, but I do not see why this film has been criticized and/or labeled for being: 1) an anti-war movie; 2) a graphically violent or gory film; 3) an "unfaithful" rendition of the book (an aspect I cannot comment on, as I have not read the book); and 4) a movie that has--depending on the reviewer--to much or too little of a "Christian message." Moreover, I have found my self challenged by the intriguing question: Why do I watch a movie? Entertainment? If entertainment, what is entertainment?
What I see in "To End All Wars" is a brilliant presentation, on a "limited" budget, concerning a part of World War II that many people do not like to "think about." I see a semi-autobiographical account as seen through the "eyes" (and memories) of one survivor. I see a film that details the fact that the story teller, along with a few other other prisoners of war (POWs) survived an amazing feat; (nearly 50% of the Asian and 25%--16,000+--of the Allied prisoners that worked on the railroad died). "To End All Wars" brilliantly captures the nature of this horrendous experience, to the degree that an "R" rating would allow. What I do not see is a movie debating "Vengeance or Forgiveness," "Pain and Pleasure," "Redemption, Forgiveness, Brutality," "Sadism," or "Christianity." And to find "To End All Wars" boring, is to find life and drama boring.
I have not read the book that the movie is based upon, so I cannot comment on how much detail Ernest Gordon goes into with regards to the treatment of the prisoners (or comment on the films "faithfulness" to his book). But I have seen other testimonies and pictures, and I can safely state that the movie is "soft core" with regards to the treatment, conditions, interactions, and violence endured by the POWs--"To End All Wars," as far as I am concerned, is NOT graphically violent or gory--especially for an "R" rated movie. Despite this, I feel the film gets the point across, just as it makes clear why any attempt to escape would be futile, why so many were suffering, and why the author's decision to "teach" was so helpful to the survivors.
In deed, I would argue that it is the fault of our own "arrogant" and "prudent" denial of reality, as found in our educational systems and other social organizations, that prevented "To End All Wars" to truly portray what happened. Why does the movie not show more of what happened to the Asians working on the railroad? Why does the film not address the gruesomeness the people sent to work on the Burma/Death Railway endured just to get to the camps? Why does the movie not address what happened to the Japanese who were involved in these "war crimes?" Why does the movie not tell what happened to the other POWs? I am guessing, one reason is that movies today cannot go over two hours; but, I suspect the greater reasons are that viewers don't really desire to know "the bald facts," and because showing everything would have resulted in some form of "Adults Only" rating. With that in mind, if "To End All Wars" had been able to truly portray what happened, then I would agree with those who call the film an "anti-war" movie, because it just might have had such an effect upon the viewer.
But I do not believe that the makers of "To End All Wars" were overtly trying to make an anti-war movie; (if they were, they failed). Nor can I believe that someone as noble and brave as Ernest Gordon (based upon my research for this review) would be totally "anti-war." I believe he would think more along the lines--as he clearly did when he enlisted--that war is sometimes a necessary evil. And the "message" I got from "To End All Wars" was: Honor those who fought/fight--regardless of their beliefs or which "side" of the war they were serving. If this is a "Christian message," then it is; but, it is, more importantly, a human message understood by all who have endured many forms of violence--war in particular.
As for the language, I think that the director did an incredible job of "covering up" the dialog that would have been/is used on a daily basis by people caught in such an environment. If the viewer is so easily offended, they should stick with "fantasy" films. Even more germane to this film, is if Ernest Gordon did not use the vernacular of the everyday soldier, let alone that of prisoners under extreme duress, in his book, then I say the makers of "To End All Wars" were obliged to ignore Mr Gordon's prudence. The fact that Ernest Gordon "started" a school to help keep moral up, and that one of the books available was the Bible never once lead me to the conclusion that this was a "Christian" movie. Indeed, what I remember most is: 1) that the thoughts of Shakespeare and Plato were integrated with those of the Bible and the Japanese "bushido" ideologies; and 2) how these ideas impacted upon the men involved. Perhaps even more impressive was the presentation of how the "refreshed" attitudes (from their "schooling") of these few men influenced the attitudes and lives of the rest of the camp--including the Japanese.
For me, the role of "faith," was not that of Christian faith, but of human faith. Again, without having read the book, I have no idea to what degree Christian faith influenced Ernest Gordon before his camp experiences, but as a sociologist I do know how individuals who have been around Christian thinking will quickly turn to the Bible--or their "remembrance" of the Bible--when they find themselves in situations they cannot fathom; just as individuals of other religions "turn" to their "remembrances" of whatever source of "faith" they have encountered. And there in-lies one of the beauties of the "school:" "faith" was found by some POWS in the Bible, by others in Shakespeare, yet other POWs took faith from Plato and other writers, and other POWs discovered faith in music and drama. Others turned to the darker side (brought out so well in "King Rat") for their faith, as aptly found in an American POW--portrayed with greatness by Kiefer Sutherland as Lt. Jim Reardon--selfish materialism; albeit, Sutherland's character undergoes a transformation that is both longer and greater--and less appreciated and understood--than many of the other POWs.
"To End All Wars" walked a hard line, and in the final analysis, I truly believe it did a wonderful job. All of the performances were superb. I found myself involved with the characters, and living their lives (or at least feeling like I was). The script, direction, and production are all stellar. When a film, such as "To End All Wars" draws the viewer into the world they are portraying, I think that is what entertainment is all about.
Please Note: If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.
A Rare Jewel of a Movie With So Much Value It's rare these days to find a well done movie with great value to it. I don't know that I can say more without a really long review. The acting is great. The pain and sacrifice and humility in this film are incredible. Definately toward the top of 'films to watch that make you think.'
Pain and pleasure This is a very difficult film to watch because of the graphic violence and sadistic tortures of war, but overall is a very beautiful, thought provoking work. The message more than redeems every moment of painful viewing. The international cast is wonderful.
WARS NEVER END... Over the years there have been a number of anti-war movies made. Each took the perspective of why it was bad and the consequences of those who would wage war. The outlook of this film differs in that it talks about the suffering of man, the ability of man to rise above his experiences and the way man can find humanity in himself.
The film is narrated by Ernest Gordon (Ciaran McMenamin), a young man who joins the army because it was the right thing to do, only to find himself a prisoner of the Japanese in Thailand. Their captors demand respect and a following of the code of Bushido, a code that the allies are unfamiliar with. It becomes a hard lesson to learn but one that takes place, notably when their leader is killed before their eyes.
Hardened by this event, the camp breaks down into two groups through a series of events. One is led by Campbell (Robert Carlyle). His group is planning escape from a prison where there is none. Buried in the jungle with no where to go, they have little hope of survival. But deep seated feelings of retribution lie in Campbell.
The other group is led by Gordon and Dusty Miller (Mark Strong). This group has begun to meet secretly in an attempt to bring civility to the camp. In offering education to the prisoners beneath the noses of the Japanese, they regain the humanity that their captors have tried to strip from them.
Between the two groups and fending for himself is Reardon (Kiefer Sutherland). The only Yank in the group, Reardon looks out for himself. Sutherland's part is more minor than usual, but he works it well. The change his character takes is a linchpin to the tale.
While the Japanese force their prisoners to work for them, building the infamous "Railway of Death" between Thailand and Burma, the prisoners do their best to survive. And doing so in the face of their captors is what forms the drama of this film.
The performances are solid all the way round. The look and feel of the film are well made. The film does lack one thing though. While the story is an important one to be told, based on fact, it lacks enough oomph to capture the viewer and hold on tight from beginning to end. Interesting yes, entertaining no.
War film fans may enjoy this one. For the average viewer it will be a choice made when the hot new title is gone for the night at the local video store. It's worth watching, but meant more for the select than the masses.
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