To End All Wars (2001)
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58% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(7,970 ratings)
David L. Cunningham follows up on his acclaimed Beyond Paradise with this Bridge Over the River Kwai-like POW drama. Following Japan's surprise invasion of Singapore during the waning days of 1941, a small British battalion headed by Lieutenant Colonel McLean (James Cosmo), Major Campbell… More David L. Cunningham follows up on his acclaimed Beyond Paradise with this Bridge Over the River Kwai-like POW drama. Following Japan's surprise invasion of Singapore during the waning days of 1941, a small British battalion headed by Lieutenant Colonel McLean (James Cosmo), Major Campbell (Robert Carlyle), Captain Gordon (Ciaran McMenamin), and Lieutenant Tom Ridgen (Kiefer Sutherland) are captured and imprisoned in a camp deep in the Burmese jungle. Soon after arriving, Major Campbell starts to an uprising. Worn down by an exhausting march through the woods, brutal daily beatings, and a lack of food, the troops are in no mood for a coup and the scheme collapses. Captain Gordon copes with the camp's extreme conditions in a polar opposite manner -- by forgiving his captors and seeking spiritual salvation. Soon a split occurs within the camp between those who follow Campbell's tireless efforts for physical freedom and those who follow Gordon's more transcendent pursues. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Directed By
- David L. Cunningham
- Written By
- Brian Godawa
- Genres
- Drama
- In Theaters
- Dec 6, 2002 Limited
- Studio
- Argyll Film Partners
Critic Reviews
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
More grueling than rewarding.
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David Hunter, Hollywood Reporter
An ensemble effort that recalls other great POW movies, Wars boasts many superb performances.
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Burl Burlingame, Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Will be well-received on Sunday-school movie night at church, particularly during group discussions afterward. For the rest of us, alas, it doesn't quite hang together.
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Ron Reed, Christianity Today
Its message of costly sacrifice and hard-won reconciliation is at the heart of the gospel, and the fact that this story is drawn from actual events demands attention.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...there's no denying that the story it's telling is a fascinating one.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Ciaran McMenamin
as Captain Ernest Gordon
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Robert Carlyle
as Major Ian Campbell
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Kiefer Sutherland
as Lt. Tom "Yanker" Rigden
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Mark Strong
as Dusty Miller
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Yugo Saso
as Takashi Nagasi
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Sakae Kimura
as Ito
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James Cosmo
as Lt. Col. Stuart McLean
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Masayuki Yui
as Capt. Noguchi
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John Gregg
as Dr. Coates
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Shu Nakajima
as Lt. Col. Nagatomo
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Greg Ellis
as Primrose
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Pip Torrens
as Foxworth
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Brendan Cowell
as Wallace Hamilton
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Adam Sinclair
as Jocko
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Joji Yoshida
as Guard #1
