Sean Connery as Major-General Roy Urquhart looking straight ahead in A Bridge Too Far Image via United Artists By Namwene Mukabwa Published Sep 1, 2026, 11:44 PM EDT Namwene Mukabwa is a Collider author based in Nairobi, Kenya . He has a penchant for Westerns, classics, historical, and underrated movies and television series . He became hooked on screens at the age of nine when his dad bought their family's first television set. A career television producer , budding filmmaker , and adjunct professor of visual storytelling, Namwene holds a bachelor's degree in communications (journalism). Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap The best World War II movies of the last century typically feature heroic stories of battle and conquest, survival despite insurmountable challenges, and honorable figures fighting against injustice. And it's no surprise that Richard Attenborough 's 1977 war drama A Bridge Too Far stands out as one of the most realistic and ambitious World War II films ever made, and now it's streaming on Tubi and Pluto. Upon its release, however, it was not universally lauded. In his scathing review, Roger Ebert asks , "Why make a movie about total defeat and stupidity?" And yet, that is the reason why A Bridge Too Far stands out among the rest. The film captures the scale, complexity, and failure of an operation by the Allied forces to surprise their enemies.
A Bridge Too Far did not match the success of Steven Spielberg 's seminal classic Saving Private Ryan , but its epic storytelling, nuanced perspectives, and historical authenticity ensure its place among the greats. It's an unapologetic tale of the triumphs and failures of war with a commitment to depicting war's horrors. These are portrayed by a massive ensemble cast of A-list stars of its time, drawn from Europe and the United States. And now you can watch it for free on Tubi.
Adapted from historian Cornelius Ryan 's book of the same name, A Bridge Too Far is about the Allied forces' ambitious, ill-fated Operation Market Garden, a plan designed to end World War II by capturing key bridges in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Executed in September 1944, the operation was the largest airborne assault in history, with 35,000 soldiers being flown from England and dropped behind enemy lines. Attenborough's picture faithfully reconstructs this strategy through three main perspectives: the Allied forces, comprising the British, American, Dutch, and Polish paratroopers; Dutch civilians; and German soldiers. The film is an interplay of hope and chaos in war. The confidence of the military generals led by the British General Montgomery fails to align with the realities of those on the frontlines. William Goldman 's screenplay highlights how these top soldiers ignored intelligence and underrated their opponents, leading to the total disaster that Roger Ebert terms "stupidity."
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