Not even Robert Carlyle's trademark pugnacity can enliven this well-intentioned but leaden adaptation of Ernest Gordon's memoir about the building of the Burma railroad. Even though it presents a considerably more accurate account than The Bridge on the River Kwai, unfavourable comparisons with David Lean's Oscar winner (and even Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence) abound, as Allied soldiers Ciaran McMenamin, Robert Carlyle and Kiefer Sutherland are among the PoWs forced to lay the infamous track. Yugo Saso and Sakae Kimura's good guard/bad guard and the subplots involving Sutherland's illicit still and Mark Strong's bush university only reinforce the unfortunate aura of stereotype and cliché.

Based on a real-life story, this drama focuses on a small group of Allied soldiers in Burma who are held captive by the Japanese. Capt. Ernest Gordon, Lt. Jim Reardon and Maj. Ian Campbell are among the military officers kept imprisoned and routinely beaten and deprived of food. While Campbell wants to rebel and attempt an escape, Gordon tries to take a more stoic approach, an attitude that proves to be surprisingly resonant.