| Errors | Missing | Unverified | Supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Colonel Nicholson: In the film's climax, Nicholson, now fully aware of the bridge's strategic importance to the Allies and the error of his ways, attempts to stop the detonator from being plunged by Commander Shears. During the struggle, he is wounded by enemy fire. As he falls onto the detonator plunger, he triggers the explosives, destroying the bridge.
After escaping the POW camp in the beginning of the film, Shears is convinced to return to help destroy the bridge. In the film's climax, he is shot and killed by Japanese soldiers during the climactic battle.
Major Warden: Leading the team to destroy the bridge, Warden is severely wounded by mortar fire during the final battle. Despite his injuries, he survives.
Colonel Saito: Following the bridge's destruction, Saito, realizing his reputation is ruined, is wounded during the battle. He ultimately survives.
Lieutenant Joyce: Another member of the sabotage team alongside Warden and Shears. During the climactic battle, Joyce is shot and killed by Colonel Nicholson as he approaches to detonate the explosives.
The Medical Officer: The Medical Officer, captured alongside Nicholson in the beginning of the film, dies of heat exhaustion and illness while being forced to work in the jungle. His death contributes to Nicholson's initial resentment and determination to maintain discipline amongst the POWs.
The summary completely omits Chapman, one of the four commandos who parachutes into Thailand. Chapman dies on landing when his parachute gets caught in a tree. This is a significant character death that occurs during the sabotage mission.
The summary misrepresents the sequence: Joyce stabs Saito to death before being killed by Japanese gunfire; Shears then swims across the river attempting to reach the detonator but is also fatally wounded; Warden fires the mortar that wounds Nicholson; Nicholson finally falls on the plunger. The summary conflates and confuses these events.
While mentioned contextually, the summary doesn't explicitly note Nicholson's iconic line of realization before his death, which is one of the film's most memorable moments.
In The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), the following characters die:
Chapman - Dies during the parachute drop when his parachute gets caught in a tree, killing him on landing.
Colonel Saito - Stabbed to death by Lieutenant Joyce during the climactic battle. When Nicholson and Saito investigate the exposed detonator wires, Joyce breaks cover and stabs Saito.
Lieutenant Joyce - Shot and killed by Japanese gunfire after stabbing Saito. He is manning the detonator when Nicholson tries to stop him from blowing up the bridge.
Commander Shears - After Joyce is shot, Shears swims across the River Kwai attempting to reach the detonator and complete the mission. He is fatally wounded by gunfire during his attempt.
Colonel Nicholson - Mortally wounded by a mortar fired by Major Warden (not enemy fire). In his dying moments, after realizing his mistake ('What have I done?'), he stumbles toward the detonator and falls on the plunger, triggering the explosives that destroy the bridge and send the Japanese train into the river.
Notably, Major Warden survives despite being wounded earlier by a Japanese patrol, and Major Clipton (the medical officer) also survives, delivering the film's famous final line: 'Madness! Madness!'