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Celluloid
WarDrama BFI London 1957

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Directed by David Lean · 1957 ·

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary: Is The Bridge on the River Kwai worth watching?

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) earns a 85% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

Quick Verdict: What is the Celluloid Score for The Bridge on the River Kwai?

Calculated from 4 available inputs: Celluloid editorial rating, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb. Audience sentiment is shown separately and never changes the composite. See how we calculate scores.

85%
Celluloid Score Recommended

4-input transparent breakdown

95% Editorial Rating
95% Audience snapshot · excluded
78 Metascore
★★★★☆ Letterboxd 4.3
8.1 IMDb /10
Watch Trailer
Runtime
2h 41m
Cast
William Holden , Alec Guinness , Jack Hawkins
Language
English

Where to watch

Streaming availability varies by region — currently on U-NEXT in Japan. Check local listings for your region.

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home, Spectrum On Demand

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Why this score?

  • Celluloid's editorial rating is exceptional (95/100).
  • Audiences widely enjoyed it (95%).
  • Metascore is generally favorable (78/100).
  • Letterboxd diarists rate it highly (4.3/5).
  • IMDb users score it 8.1/10.

Best for

  • Viewers who want a well-regarded war, drama pick
  • Epic-length viewers who want a big-screen experience

Not ideal for

    Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

    Streaming availability, artwork and title metadata courtesy of TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

    Is The Bridge on the River Kwai worth watching?

    Yes — The Bridge on the River Kwai earns a 85% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

    Celluloid Verdict

    Lean's POW epic balances honor, madness, and whistling that echoes through cinema history.

    Celluloid editorial verdict

    Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

    What is The Bridge on the River Kwai about?

    Allied POWs build a railway bridge for their Japanese captors while a commando team plans to destroy it in the Burmese jungle.

    Watch the Trailer

    Critic Reviews

    critic The Bridge on the River Kwai

    The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Review: A British Classic

    David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) endures as a defining war landmark from United Kingdom, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

    Essential viewing — a certified classic.

    Kaiser Khan Founder & Editor

    The Bridge on the River Kwai stills

    Official production imagery supplied through TMDB, kept with the movie instead of split into a thin gallery page.

    The Bridge on the River Kwai production still 1
    The Bridge on the River Kwai production still 2
    The Bridge on the River Kwai production still 3
    The Bridge on the River Kwai production still 4
    The Bridge on the River Kwai production still 5
    The Bridge on the River Kwai production still 6

    Images courtesy of TMDB. TMDB does not endorse or certify Celluloid.

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