Dir. David L. Cunningham, 2001, USA/UK/Thailand, 117 mins
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Keifer Sutherland, Ciaran McMenamin, Mark Strong
Based on a book of the same name this film is a very personal account of the experiences of Captain Ernest Gordon, a Scottish soldier captured with his regiment and detained by the Japanese at the height of World War Two. To End All Wars is a harrowing search into the soul of humanity and the human capacity for forgiveness.
Surrounded by jungle and without hope of escape the regiment resorts to different ways of dealing with the desolation and fear of every day life in the camp. As the film progresses quite distinct groups of friends and allegiances emerge from the desolation. Gordon (played by Ciaren McMenamin) relies upon his newfound friend Dusty (Mark Strong) and together they find solace in literature, philosophy and religious understanding making sometimes enormous sacrifices for their fellow men. The only American of the group, "Yanker" (Kiefer Sutherland), slips gracefully into self-preservation through the black market with its own bewildering results. Major Ian Cambell (Robert Carlyle) remains the only member of the group with any hopes of escape and, with his small band of followers, places everything - including those around him - secondary to his own freedom. The camp is eventually sent to build the infamous 'Railroad of Death' pushing each man to his limits of physical and mental endurance and driving the film to its startling finale.
As well as this film being a personal account of Captain Gordon's experience he also does an amazing job of expressing the views of the Japanese captors. In a relatively short amount of time he sketches the complex characters of some of the Japanese guards, making this a film of touching balance, depth and understanding. This sensitive portrayal and remarkable acting from the Japanese cast, makes it, for me, one of the most impressive things of the film. One thing I do feel it is necessary to note about this film, however, is that it is by no means for the faint of heart. Though the violence is obviously far from gratuitous, it is however sickening and shocking in equal measures and it is something you should consider before watching it.
This is not a relaxing evenings viewing, it is a painful, stressful and emotionally draining film. The unbelievable cruelty of the captors to their victims does of course emphasize the amazing endurance of the prisoners and fundamentally this is a story of the mind and the soul and not one of mere flesh. Though the actors manage to pull off the profound morality of the films message an unbalanced script often leaves them without the material to make this a well-rounded and hard-hitting film. The films unfortunate soundtrack (gushing strings interspersed with Celtic melodies) separates us still further from the purpose of this film and the result is a film with all the right things in all the wrong places. I found, unfortunately, that no matter how pure the intent of the film the viewer is likely to be left feeling that there was something lacking. One of its redeeming features has to be Robert Carlyle's performance - an amazing performance of subtlety and more depth than the part seemed to be allowing him. Anyone interested in war films should catch this one for though it doesn't stand up to the true classics it has a lot of important things to say, many of which are in danger of being forgotten.
Eleri Evans
|
