A Bridge Too Far is a solid and amazing film. It also suffers from the time it was made, and the films that followed it.

It’s packed with big names. It is literally an all-star cast in a way that doesn’t happen anymore. All of them working to bring the story of Operation Market Garden during World War II to life. I love the cast, I love the jaunty little theme by John Addison.

But I had a problem with the production, sets, costumes, and the like, looking too clean. Later on, with films and series like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, not to mention countless others, the grit and the horrific realities of war would be portrayed on screen. That feels like its missing here.

Yes there are terrible moments for the Allied forces, yes we see clashes between forces, and while it’s done fantastically – it is Attenborough after all, it lacks the dirt, and feel of a real moment. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great film. It is. But I think, as audiences, we know, or at least think we know, how horrible war is, through films like the updated version of All Quiet on the Western Front.

I wanted something a little rougher. But you definitely get caught up in the cast and their stories. Check out this list; Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schnell, Laurence Olivier, Gene Hackman, Ryan O’Neal, Anthony Hopkins, James Caan, Denholm Elliott, Alun Armstrong, John Ratzenberger, and Micheal Byrne.

And it has a script by William Goldman! Vic Armstrong served as stunt coordinator!

Wow.

It’s also filled with stunning moments, the planes, the gliders, the parachutes (with 19 cameras rolling to catch the one time event), the tanks. There is a lot on display here, and the detail paid to the production is incredible. It looks fantastic. Just too clean.

Market Garden floundered and was a bit of a setback for the Allies, their mission failed and also prolonged the fighting in Europe. But the film doesn’t belabour that point; it just showed how things played out and how things went wrong. There is a scapegoat in the film which isn’t entirely justified, but was needed for a narrative through line.

Overall, this was a great watch. Incredibly well-made, and an important document depicting actual events during World War II. It’s nearly three hour runtime feels like a bit of a commitment. I’ll be honest, a choice between Saving Private Ryan and A Bridge Too Far is no real choice; it’s always going to be Ryan for me.

Still, all these actors working for common purpose to put to celluloid a major offensive of the Second World War makes this a must watch.