Ernest Gordon's novel To End All Wars is given new life on the silver screen courtesy of director David L. Cunningham in the film of the same name. Based on the true story of four Allied prisoners of war in a Japanese prison camp in Thailand during World War Two, it's a well executed film that, although it isn't without its flaws, takes a look at a less notorious but equally atrocious slice of history.

A group of Allied soldiers are captured by the Japanese and kept under inhumane conditions in a remote camp where the rules of the Geneva Convention do not apply. Their captors intend to use them as laborers to build a railroad through the thick jungle surrounding them between Thailand and Burma. This railway would go on to be named 'the railway of death' because of the dangerous area through which it travels.

When one of the POW's, Ian Campbell (Trainspotting's Robert Carlyle) decides he's going to keep his regimental tradition alive by escaping and killing the Japanese soldiers, he ends up endangering the rest of the prisoners as well. Meanwhile, Yanker Reardon (Keifer Sutherland of 24) is thinking only of himself and how he can ensure that he makes it out alive, regardless of what happens to his fellow inmates. Earnest Gordon, (the man who wrote the novel, played here by Ciaran McMeniman) just hopes to make it out of the war alive along with his fellow men, hoping to return home to become a teacher if he can, as he's already started educating the men he's incarcerated with. The fourth prisoner, Dusty (Mark Strong) is fluent in Japanese and a key player in the men's survival. He's a compassionate man who deeply cares what happens to those around him and an asset to the group.

Through their blood, sweat and tears the four prisoners must work together and alongside their captors to deal with their situation. It will take all the have not only to survive but also to maintain their sanity.

While aspects of the story may sound a little overdone (and in a sense they are, this film is far from subtle), the pros outweigh the cons and To End All Wars turns out to be an interesting film with an ending that was far different than how I initially figured the movie was going to end up with.

Performances from the four leads are all good, though Carlyle is a little overdone in a couple of spots. For the most part though the four leads gel together well and make for a believable if rag-tag group of soldiers and they certainly all look the part. Sutherland is the stand out amongst the group and really shows what he's capable of when working with decent material. As Reardon he is intelligent and realistic, reacting as you would expect someone in his position to react to the things going on around him.

The film keeps its gritty, dirty visual sense going from start to finish which serves to bring you into the world these men inhabit quite effectively, even if sometimes we don't want to be there with them. Cunningham directs the movie with just enough style to keep it looking good and doesn't delve into John Woo style shoot out territory or Peckinpah style slow-motion bloodletting. That wouldn't have worked for this movie and would have sullied the serious nature of its story.

The biggest flaw of the film lays in its narration. It's totally unnecessary and explains things to us that we already know through what the characters experience. If a good portion of the narration had been chopped out of the film it would have flowed better and maybe made us think a little more about the films message at the end.

Video:

Side A of the DVD features the film in its original 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen ratio, while Side B features a 1.33.1 fullscreen pan and scan presentation. I opted for the Widescreen ratio, because cropped transfers, as a general rule, tend to suck. I urge you to do the same, as the widescreen image really makes the movie look a lot more natural and retains the compositions that the director intended us to see. As far as image quality goes, the film looks good but not great. It's a gritty picture by default so it makes sense that the picture looks a tad dull, but sadly there are some edge enhancement noticeable in a few of the lighter scenes. Black levels are solid though, and flesh tones look natural and lifelike. That one issue aside, To End All Wars looks pretty good.