This movie is profound, disturbing, and most of all, inspiring. I continue to be amazed at man's inhumanity to man, and equally amazed at how some men rise above all of that to live and die with integrity. This is the true story of POWs in WWII. It will change you and challenge you. Everything about it is excellent-- screenplay, direction, acting, production value, commentaries. But be forewarned. It's brutal. This story was originally produced as "Bridge on the River Kwai," but this is the TRUE version. The original was changed and sanitized. I was especially touched by the several scenes near the end where characters reached their natural conclusion, and by the postscript, which brought the viewer to the present. This film is worth watching several times.