10 War Movie Moments You'll Never Forget
4. "What Have I Done?" - The Bridge On The River Kwai
The first of two David Lean films to appear on this list (no prizes for guessing what the other is), 1957's The Bridge on the River Kwai is a true Shakespearian effort, as much a look into regimented obsession as it is a cracking adventure film.
Set in the Second World War and focusing on an Allied operation to halt the construction of a Japanese rail bridge in Burma - construction of which has been led by Allied prisoners of war - The Bridge on the River Kwai featured a tremendous cast including William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Sir Alec Guinness.
Guinness won an Oscar for his portrayal of the delusional Colonel Nicholson, a British officer determined to exemplify the Army's professional reputation and fighting spirit even if that means colluding with their Japanese captors. An Allied commando unit made up of British and American personnel is thusly dispatched to halt the bridge's construction, inevitably bringing them into conflict with Nicholson, who only realises his mistake when it is much too late.
The moment where Nicholson snaps out of his delusions makes for one of the finest scenes in Lean's filmography, and in Guinness' career as an actor. In a flash, as he reacts with protest to his comrades attempting to destroy the bridge, the scale of what has transpired drowns Nicholson in regret. "What have I done?". A crack of gunfire. A twisted monument destroyed by its mournful creator. Truly masterful filmmaking.