Return from the River Kwai (1989)

A group of war prisoners from the Kwai bridge building camp undertake a harsh journey to Japan.

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Joan Blair (book), Clay Blair Jr. (book),

Stars:

Timothy Bottoms, Nick Tate, George Takei

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Bottoms	...	Seaman Miller
Nick Tate	...	Lt. Commander Hunt
George Takei	...	Lieutenant Tanaka
Edward Fox	...	Major Benford
Paul Holm	...	Benford's Patient
Chris Penn	...	Lieutenant Crawford (as Christopher Penn)
Ronnie Lazaro	...	Boonrod
Richard Graham	...	Sergeant Perry
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Major Harada
Denholm Elliott	...	Colonel Grayson
Anna Maria Tirol	...	Meo Girl
Andres Tepongco	...	Anon
Masato Nagamori	...	Lieutenant Yamashita
Pierre Valderon	...	Frenchman in Saigon
Patricia Edmondson	...	Lady in Saigon

Storyline

A group of war prisoners has spilt blood, sweat and tears to construct a bridge over the river Kwai in Thailand. Just when the bridge is ready, an American bomber arrives and destroys it. Camp commander Tanaka wants to set an example and orders that some of the prisoners must be executed. Just in time major Harada arrives with orders that the healthiest prisoners must be transported to Japan by train and boat. A treacherous journey since the allied forces keep a close eye on railroads and practically own the seas. The prisoners are thinking of plans to escape. Meanwhile the American bomber has been shot down and it's pilot, Leyland Crawford, is being rescued by the indigenous people, the Meo. The Meo have formed a resistance group against the Japanese, led by the British colonel Grayson.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | british | train | asia | british soldier | 

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Genres:

War | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1989 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

El regreso del río Kwai

Filming Locations:

Malaysia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roadshow Productions, Screenlife Establishments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When this film was released in the United Kingdom, the movie carried a legal warning and disclaimer that it was not in no way related to or a sequel to the film The Bridge on the River Kwai.

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Connections

Follows The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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Soundtracks

"Pack Up Your Troubles"
(uncredited)
Written by George Asaf and Felix Powell

User Reviews

O dear o dear..

Well well, my first post here on the IMDb, I didn't think I would ever register, been reading it for years and years.. Anyway, I just had to register after seeing this film (on TV) and if I can save just one soul from having to sit through the whole ordeal I'll be a very happy person, what went wrong?!?! I mean.. other than everything!! What an absolutely hideous film, avoid it, at all costs! Bad acting? We're talking wooden, Solid, as in solid mahogany!, the film looked absolutely terrible (of course this could have been down to the TV print)it looked panned, I'm guessing this was shot in panavision? Though i've not checked this yet on the technical spec. I thought I was going to enjoy this as soon as i saw Lalo Schifrin credited for the film's Score, but I'm sad to say I was pretty unimpressed with that, and i'm a big Schifrin fan. I kept thinking it was going to get better, and before I knew it, the end credits were rolling..