Overview
A gripping portrayal of a daring military operation that changed the course of history.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- somber
- tense
- mournful
- historical film night
- war movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film impressively staged, historically attentive, and consistently watchable, but overly long, repetitive, and diluted by its enormous ensemble.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film intercuts the experiences of Urquhart, Horrocks, Vandeleur, Cook, and Dohun across different stages of Operation Market Garden.
Bridges, airborne landings, armored relief columns, intelligence failures, and delayed reinforcements drive the operation's progress.
Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Robert Redford, James Caan, Dirk Bogarde, and Edward Fox appear within a broad ensemble portraying the campaign.
Faulty intelligence and Allied high command's ambitious assumptions leave the airborne forces vulnerable to stubborn German resistance.
Films like A Bridge Too Far, and why
The Longest Day
large-scale world war ii combat drama centered on a strategically ambitious Allied operation and its human cost
Patton
historically grounded world war ii epic combining military logistics, multiple perspectives, and an expansive ensemble cast
The Big Red One
somber war epic about military command, battlefield confusion, and the consequences of strategic overreach
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Attenborough
- Release Date
- 1977-06-15
- Runtime
- 175 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (982)
Cast
- Dirk Bogarde
- James Caan
- Michael Caine
- Sean Connery
- Edward Fox
- Robert Redford
- Elliott Gould
- Anthony Hopkins
- Gene Hackman
- Hardy Krüger
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Bridge Too Far about?
- A sprawling, star-studded World War II epic reconstructing the Allied gamble to seize Dutch bridges before German resistance turns ambition into disaster.
- What is A Bridge Too Far like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Bridge Too Far as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Bridge Too Far violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Bridge Too Far as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Bridge Too Far?
- Critics broadly found the film impressively staged, historically attentive, and consistently watchable, but overly long, repetitive, and diluted by its enormous ensemble.
- Which films are like A Bridge Too Far?
- Films with a similar feel include The Longest Day, Patton, and The Big Red One.
- How long is A Bridge Too Far?
- A Bridge Too Far runs 175 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Bridge Too Far?
- In United States, A Bridge Too Far streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
