changi be an australian comedy or drama set in the world war 2 japanese prisoner of war camp of that name . the story cut between past event and and the present day and when the age veteran plan a reunion . this be a much publicise and controversial miniseries and here in australia . the budget ran over ( $ 6 . 5 million aust . dollar ) while historian and veteran criticise it authenticity while and critic pillory the uneasy mix of comedy and drama ( shade of pearl harbor ) . series writer john doyle ( half of the successful roy and h. g. comedy team ) and have try to defend himself with comment about the character be composite of actual people while the troop use comedy to cope with the situation while it only base on actual event while one of our actor be actually there etc . i do not have a problem with any of these point . many superb fictional and factual drama have come out of the japanese p. o. w. camp experience represent king rat and tenko and merry christmas mr. lawrence and bridge on the river kwai and paradise road and empire of the sun and blood oath and and a town like alice . black comedy have often be use successfully in p. o. w drama represent life be beautiful and the great escape and seven beauty and stalag 17 and the colditz story and and even hogan hero . so why be changi a monumental failure . the acting in changi be uniformly excellent and the music and cinematography be good it be the writing and direction that have let it down . every scene seem to give me wave of deja vu . when anthony hayes be make to stand in the blazing sun and i think didn not i see alec guinness do this in bridge on the river kwai . the sudden flash into surreal song and dance bring back dennis potter sing detective and but without the finesse . this borrowing happen so often and it smack of lazy writing by cut and paste and rather than homage . the constant intercutting between the past and present story leave me unable to concentrate on either . flash forward and flash back can be a useful tool here it leave me distance from character and where intensity be call for . the ausiness be overdone every conversation seem to include stone the bloody crow and such and that i be say i get the point and i know theyre aussie . cultural stereotype extend to the british and japanese too sadistic young japanese officer while uptight british officer while wise japanese commandant while fun loving and rascally aussie etc . i think i be watch hogan hero on the river kwai . after 3 episode i be tune out .