I just watched a great movie that was released about 2002. It was about British POWs who helped build the Burma-Thailand railroad (remember movie "The Bridge over River Kwai") The movie was "To End All Wars", staring Keith Sutherland and a British actor. Before the movie started it said 61,000 POWs were used to build that railroad---not sure if that many died, don't think so.
The great part of the movie is the struggle to survive the extreme inhumanity without giving up and dieing. Without giving it away, they resort to philosophy and scriptures to find Hope. Then there is some violate turn of events (its rated R). There is a great message of forgiveness in this movie. It ends with the reunion of one of the British chaps and his captors; one became Dean of the Chapel at Princeton and one a Buddist Monk.
Highly recommended!!
Steve