Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

betty dalton Record breaking war movie, in sheer size of the production. Biggest production ever in movie history. "A Bridge Too Far" tells the true story about the invasion of Holland during WW II, which was bigger in size than D-day in France and which caused more casualties. Greatest cast of movie stars ever ensembled in any movie in the entire seventies, featuring an incredible number of 14 oscar winners: Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, James Caan, Anthony Hopkins, Dirk Bogarde, Liv Ullman etc. Acting performances are excellent. How could it have been otherwise, with such an unique cast of movie stars from the seventies. Everybody who was famous at the time played in it. Steve McQueen was the only star that refused to take part, because he wanted a bigger paycheck. Since this huge war movie production was already crumbling under a huge financial burden, Steve McQueen's paycheck demands were rejected.This war movie became the biggest grossing box office hit in Europe, but it didnt do well in America. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, but the film was completely ignored at Oscar time for daring to expose the fatal inadequacies of the Allied campaign. Almost 3 hours long, this movie is a slowburner though, but enticing from beginning to end. Never bored me for a minute. On the contrary, even though I have seen this movie dozens of times I still get excited by it. But I am from the older generation, therefore speed is NOT a necessity for me to enjoy a movie. Young people however may find it a bit long drawn, because there arent Star Wars explosions every 10 minutes. There isnt a happy ending. Therefore lots of people WONT like the ending. The ending is true to life though, because everything is as has happened during World War II. War aint fun, but this movie is still very charming and even very funny at some other moments though. Glorious and suspenseful too. Director Richard Attenborough made a movie that is enjoyable for the entire family, but he also clearly stated that he didnt want to make a movie that glorified the war. The ending of "A Bridge Too Far" is a big downer. You wont feel cheery at the end at all. And that is the explicit intention of the director. War isnt supposed to be an uplifting or feel good experience. Ofcourse not. But movies wont sell if they dont have a hapyy ending. This movie finds a good balance between entertainment and true to life depressing devastation. I must confess that I regularly watch it only for the first 2 and a half hours which are very glorious and suspenseful and even funny. But I do skip the downer part at the last 30 minutes, because I have already seen it so many times and just as everybody else I dont like downers at the end of a movie...Endnote: there is an excellent additional bonus DVD which features hours of real life war footage from World War II including a short documentary about the making of this biggest war movie of all time. The production of this movie was truly insane. But so is war...

shelly-182 This movie had most of the makings for a decent war flick - but OH, for the film editing!!! Eeeegads!! The scene/shot sequence and tempo was horrific. God, what a mess! Really can't believe people think this is a good movie. The acting is really the only thing that keeps this movie from being a disaster!

moonspinner55 William Goldman adapted Cornelius Ryan's non-fiction WWII book from 1974 detailing Operation Market Garden, wherein 35,000 men were dropped behind enemy lines in the Netherlands: two divisions of U.S. paratroopers were responsible for securing the single road (a sticking point) and bridges up to the city of Nijmegen, while a British division was to land near Arnhem and hold both sides of the bridge, supported by a brigade of Polish paratroopers. The operation, a failure, was intended to allow the Allies to break through German lines and seize the bridges in the occupied Netherlands. Extraordinarily detailed and well-researched document, somewhat hindered by the sudden appearances of Elliott Gould or Robert Redford or James Caan. All-star films (particularly disaster movies or large-scale epics) were commonplace in the 1970s, but today the anachronistic appearances of so many famous faces works against the film's seriousness as a document of wartime. Technical aspects are all first-rate. Geoffrey Unsworth's cinematography is wonderfully vivid in the outdoor scenes of strategy and battle, but he can't do much with the classroom sequences of various major generals studying the plan of attack laid out by the commanding general of the British Airborne Forces Corps (Dirk Bogarde), who acts sinister although he isn't intended to be. Worthwhile for historians, yet director Richard Attenborough's attempt to give personality to as many of the players as possible stretches out the running time for a war-movie too long. ** from ****

wes-connors We begin with what looks like archival World War II footage. After D-Day, the Allies have turned the tide. Now, they expect to defeat the Germans. In September of 1944, with the war's end presumably in sight, American and British forces embark on a mission they hope will win the war by December 1944, so everyone can be home for Christmas. Being home for Christmas is a righteous goal. The mission involves Allied troops going into Dutch territory held by the Germans and gaining control of strategic bridges. History, the title, and tone of this production leaves little doubt about the mission's outcome...Knowing how it ends doesn't always mean a story can't engage. Some stories are so engaging, you can watch them over and over again. We know Superman and Batman will return, but seeing their lives put in danger can still excite. Good story-telling qualities always help. Joseph E. Levine and his director Richard Attenborough are trying to make "A Bridge Too Far" work, but the film is quite exhausting. There is simply not enough story for the length. Back in the 1970s, Mr. Attenborough could not say, "Save it for the director's cut." So, we have excess in effective acting and explosive production scenes...The basic story, of a failed mission, isn't even properly presented. One gets the feeling the Allies should only try to blow-up the bridges. Simply infiltrating German-held territory is a good way to get killed. With great gusto, Edward Fox outlines an impossible mission. Later, poor Dirk Bogarde nonchalantly explains it away. We're not sure if it was a suicide mission. The original "I'll be Home for Christmas" goal is forgotten. The subplots involve an all-star cast, but their characters have little substance. The better performances are given by lesser names, who blend into their undeveloped roles more successfully...Arguably, the leading man is Sean Connery (as Robert Urquhart). He seems to be around most often and appears in command. Like several of the big names in the cast, he is always the Actor in his Role. Even more obvious are Ryan O'Neal and Robert Redford, implicitly and explicitly giving "Hail Mary" passes. Elliott Gould finds his character swinging on a cigar. Gene Hackman ventures into a Polish accent. James Caan shows muscle. The non-Americans are better, with Laurence Olivier blending best into his civilian character. Olivier perfected his movie camera acting in the late 1930s and never looked back...As yet unmentioned are Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and Maximilian Schell. All are dependable performers and succeed by not sticking out like money-making box-office movie stars. Always good, Liv Ullmann appears later in the running time. There is a distinct line of Swedish acting excellence, running from Greta Garbo through Ingrid Bergman and Ms. Ullmann. They rarely, if ever, give bad performances. Geoffrey Unsworth photography is fine, as expected, but John Addison's music really needed a better story. The production costs are obviously high. But the causalities are even higher.***** A Bridge Too Far (6/15/77) Richard Attenborough ~ Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Laurence Olivier