A Bridge Too Far

Starring: Sean Connery, James Caan, Michael Caine, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Ryan O'Neil, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, Edward Fox
Directed by: Richard Attenborough
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, War
1977

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A massive military maneuver is planned behind enemy lines during World War II, but the operation is fraught with danger.

Review:

Tim: Does this film feature the greatest cast ever assembled? You have to give Richard Attenborough credit for pulling together an all-star cast for this movie. When you read down the list of actors, it is almost like a who's who of terrific actors. The movie is also a massive, massive movie. Unfortunately, the film is almost too big. It completely collapses under its own weight. This movie should have been an instant classic, but it is only a good in somewhat forgettable war movie.

I need to spend some time on the expansive cast. Sean Connery is one of the biggest names in the film. He does a good job, but I don't think he really had the opportunity to showcase his talent. James Caan gives one of the best performances of the film. His simple, understated performance is just incredible. He has some of the most enjoyable moments, including one of my favorites. Caan asks, "Where's the captain?" When the response comes back, "Dead." He replies, "Didn't ask you how he was. I asked you where we was." Caan delivers this line absolutely perfectly. He has some of the best scenes of the film. Michael Caine is good, but surprisingly forgettable. I wish he had more to do. Elliott Gould has only a few scenes, but I genuinely liked him here. Gene Hackman has a ridiculous Polish accent, which makes him surprisingly ineffective. Anthony Hopkins is terrific. I really enjoyed him throughout the movie. He had a good amount of screen time and I was glad to see him. I also have to mention Robert Redford. He is only on screen for a short amount of time, but it is memorable. His performance is charismatic, exciting, and quite strong. I really liked Redford, but wish he had more screen time.

This brings me to the biggest problem with the massive cast- I mentioned only the biggest names here. There are quite a few others, all of whom need some screen time. This movie, as gigantic as it is, simply isn't big enough to give all these amazing actors enough time to truly impact the movie. As a result, we often feel cheated, wishing people like Caine, Redford, and Caan had more screen time. That is the one downside to having all these amazing actors (that, and I really wish they were able to interact with each other more. Most of them are in different places, so we don't get to see the big names on screen together (I'd love to have seen Redford-Connery, for example).

I appreciate Richard Attenborough giving us an epic, monstrous movie. However, the movie is just too involved, too complicated, clocking in at an unbelievable 175 minutes. At times, this is much appreciated- the scale and scope of this movie has to be seen to be believed. The military plot is occasionally incomprehensible. While this movie had every reason to be amazing, it does not live up to its potential.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Gandhi, Saving Private Ryan, Three Days of the Condor