In 1943, British colonel Nicholson and his men became prisoners of the Japanese army and were ordered to build the bridge on the River Kwai in western Thailand. In addition to the British prisoners, there are also US naval officer Hilles on the island. Nicholson disagreed with the escape plan proposed by Hills and others. As a typical English gentleman, Nicholson adhered to his own rules and reasoned with the Japanese leader Saito based on the rules of the Geneva Convention that do not allow officers and prisoners to do physical work. The refusal of Nicholson and his officers to do bridge repairs angered Saito, so Nicholson and his officers were all imprisoned.
The task of repairing the bridge did not go smoothly, and all the soldiers except the officers were passively sabotaged. Saito did both soft and hard to Nicholson, and finally compromised under the pressure of the construction period. Nicholson and his officers do not have to work hard, but they must direct their men to repair the bridge before the scheduled May 12th.
With the help of the local Thai villagers who hated the Japanese, Hills finally escaped the control of the Japanese army and was preparing to return to the United States, but he encountered the British 316 Special Unit. Because Hilles was familiar with the situation, he became a guide for the British army. Also accompanied by Hills were Major Walden and Joyce, who volunteered to participate in the operation. They first landed on safe land, and then marched towards the River Kwai Bridge controlled by the Japanese army, with the goal of blowing up the River Kwai Bridge.
Walden discovered that the River Kwai Bridge is a well-built bridge, not like a temporary building that has been completed in a hurry. In fact, the River Kwai Bridge is the result of the joint efforts of sergeants under Nicholson's command. Although Nicholson's approach is not understood, he believes that it is a symbol of the honor of the British army. Although captured, they still proved to the Japanese the qualities of British soldiers.
With the help of the locals, Hills, Joyce, and Siamese Yebu prepared the explosives that would blow up the bridge and prepared to blow up the bridge once the train passed by. But the next day, Nicholson, who was patrolling the bridge, discovered the lead that was exposed when Hills and the others deployed explosives. Nicholson took Saito to check it out, and Joyce rushed out in time to stab Saito to death. Joyce said he was going to blow up the bridge, and Nicholson was surprised when he heard it. Nicholson wanted to protect his hard-worked works, so he tried his best to stop Joyce. Nicholson alarmed the other Japanese guards, after which Hills and Joyce were killed under Japanese fire. Nicholson discovered that he had made a mistake and fell down after being shot, and his body just hit the explosive device.
