Even if it has a lot of trouble saying whatever message it has about honor and doing your duty, it's not boring for a second, it's well-acted, and brilliant in parts. Alec deserved his Oscar.
This movie defines what it means to honor someone and how far that can go. It's very noble, and is not a war movie to be missed. Another thing I liked about it was that it's centerpoint wasn't strategizing things and blowing tanks up.
Alec Guinness and Bill Holden rock in this EPIC war drama. Score for David Lean! It is violent though, and there are scenes of torture, stabbings and shootings. I can't get the theme out of my head!