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To End All Wars (2001)
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Overview
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Tagline:
In a jungle war of survival, they learned sacrifice. In a prison of brutal confinement, they found true freedom.Plot:
A true story about four Allied POW's who endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors during World... more | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
moreAwards:
2 wins & 4 nominations moreUser Comments:
The powerful, true story of what REALLY happened on the River Kwai during WW2. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Ciarán McMenamin | ... | Capt. Ernest 'Ernie' Gordon | |
| Robert Carlyle | ... | Maj. Ian Campbell | |
| Kiefer Sutherland | ... | Lt. Jim 'Yankee' Reardon | |
| Mark Strong | ... | Dusty Miller | |
| Yugo Saso | ... | Takashi Nagase | |
| Sakae Kimura | ... | Sgt. Ito | |
| James Cosmo | ... | Lt. Col. Stuart McLean | |
| Masayuki Yui | ... | Capt. Noguchi | |
| John Gregg | ... | Camp Doctor Coates | |
| Shu Nakajima | ... | Nagatomo | |
| Greg Ellis | ... | Sgt. Roger Primrose | |
| Pip Torrens | ... | Lt. Foxworth | |
| James McCarthy | ... | Norman | |
| Brendan Cowell | ... | Wallace Hamilton | |
| Winton Nicholson | ... | Duncan |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for war violence and brutality, and for some language.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
125 min | USA:117 min | Germany:110 min (TV version) | UK:110 min (TV version)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | USA:R | UK:15Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Factual errors: The American 'paratroopers' who liberate the POW camp all have large protective goggles on their helmets. However, such goggles were usually worn only by special troops such as bazooka teams and tank crews. moreQuotes:
Lt. Jim Reardon: Colonel, I've been watching these Nips. There's never more than a handful of 'em guarding the perimeter at any given time. And they're not watching very closely. It just doesn't make sense to me unless...McLean: Unless what?
Dr. Coates: Well, unless every prisoner's been caught or died in a thousand miles of hostile jungle. Unless the local villagers are willing to turn in a POW for a bowl of rice. Unless - escape is impossible.
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Soundtrack:
JESU, JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING moreFAQ
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THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE KWAI, the story of British POW's forced to build the Japanese jungle railroad, was my favorite book when it came out in 1962. Thus I was a bit apprehensive at what filmmakers would do to it when I heard about TO END ALL WARS, the title itself being changed. The film is different in many ways from the book, but is so powerful that the addition (apparently for dramatic excitement) of fictional characters bent on staging an escape can be forgiven. Agnostic Ernest Gordon's story of his being nursed back from the brink of death by Christian friends, thereby starting him on the road to faith--and incredibly, understanding and then forgiveness of the harsh brutality of his Japanese captors--raises this film far above any other WW2 films that I have seen (except perhaps the under-rated THE THIN RED LINE, like TO END...also filled with philosophical questions and ruminations). Although the brutality of the Japanese bushito system is shown in all its horrific brutality, some of the Japanese, especially the young man who serves as interpreter, are depicted as having touch of humanity. The film's central thesis seems to depict the affects of clinging to anger and vengeance versus seeking to be able to forgive and reconcile. The latter is shown at the end of the film when, similar to the scene in SCHINDLER'S LIST, the real Capt. Ernest Gordon and Japanese interpreter Nagase, now old men, meet and shake hands in Thailand at a memorial to those who died building the railroad. The creativity of the men, forming a Jungle University where Plato and Shakespeare are taught, is celebrated, calling to mind the inspiring film of women POW's, PARADISE ROAD.
When this thought-inspiring film finally is released to theaters or video, don't miss it. It can serve as an antidote to the dozens of mindless, vengeance-based flicks cluttering up the screens of our cinemaplexes.