The Great Raid (2005)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I was disappointed by this movie. It seemed like one overacted, trite scene after another. I really was waiting for someone to put their wrist to their forehead and gaze off into the distance in dramatic pose, a la the silent movie era actors. All the other elements were present- good actors, cinematography wasn't bad, great story as background- but the poor script and overacting never let it get off the ground, no tension ever builds, there is absolutely no character development whatsoever, and the movie drags on towards an ending. I think this is more of a drama/chick flick than a war movie, or even adventure tale. There are plenty of much better war movies out there, don't waste your time with this one as I had a hard time just writing ten lines about it.

This movie seems to trade right-wing sentimentality and propaganda for World War II Pacific Theater history, and there's nothing wrong with that if that is your goal. This movie claims to portray the raid "based on true events", and yet it loses its authenticity in its zeal to emphasize Japanese brutality and American virtue. The Japanese WERE brutal, of that there is no question. It does not need to be pounded into us by making the Japanese secret police commander into a T-2, virtually indestructible in addition to being completely evil. That's not history or drama, it's just stereotype.Among the Americans there is no one who presents a compelling character to focus on, everyone is a cliché from countless war flicks that have gone before. The obligatory "dead meat" characters are quickly identified and dismissed as inevitably doomed. The non- historical love connection between the historical Margaret Utinsky and the non-historical composite character of Major Gibson added nothing to the story, functioning only as a distraction from the drama and the actual history of Utinsky's contributions. Probably the most irritating supposed historical assertion in the movie, the claim that it "remains the most successful rescue in US Military history", might be argued with by any one who participated in the raid a month later on the prison compound at Los Banos where over 2100 people were rescued in a massive raid by Army Airborne troops and Filipino Guerillas. I'm sure that hairs could be split over which was "more successful", but the raid at Cabanatuan was hardly even unique to the times. There was heroism aplenty and enough glory to go around.If you're looking for right-wing validation of "American values" irrespective of actual history then this flick is for you, watch it and have a ball. If you're looking for insight into a little known episode of history well told, keep looking and pass this one up.

I noted this war movie in the box offices and I'm wondering why such a film hasn't been shown in our theaters in Europe. I found the story very interesting because it is based on true events about the greatest rescue plan for prisoners in the American history. It was never annoying because there were many plots and turns. It's a question of courage, humanity and honor.The music was wonderful and the direction from John Dahl superb. All the actors delivered here a great performance. Especially Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Finnes and Connie Nielsen convinced me in their roles. I hope to see more from them in future. Then the cinematography was fine too.I am glad having seen THE GREAT RIDE because it opened again my eyes how hard the soldiers fought for surviving, liberation and freedom in the last world war and how much they suffered far away from their friends or families. In my opinion it's a must see for every one and I give a solid 7/10.

The Great Raid is a very unfocused war film, hoping to cash in on the critical success of other war films like Saving Private Ryan and commercial success of Pearl Harbor. It is a war film that tries to have it's cake and eat it.During the dying days of World War II the American is started to advance through the Philippines. The Japanese are having to retreat, they start to kill prisoners of war, instead of releasing them. A new American Battalion had been formed, the Sixth Rangers. There are meant to be elite infantry troops. They are led by Lt. Col. Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) and a very capable young officer Capt. Robert Prince (James Franco). They are giving the mission to liberate American PoWs from Cabanatuan. It is an opportunity for the Rangers to prove themselves. At Cabanatuan the PoW are led by Major Gibson (Joseph Fiennes), a survive of the Japanese invasion and the Bataan Death March. His story shows how the Japanese were becoming more brutal to the PoWs. It become harder to bribe guards and smuggle in supplies. The Japanese bring in the Kempeitai (Military Police) to run the camp, with the aim to kill the troops. They use fear to ensure that the PoWs done try and escape. The third story is about Margaret Utinsky (Connie Nielsen), an American Nurse who works in Malina. She works with the Filippo resistance, smuggling in medical supplies to American PoWs. The Japanese start to suspect she is working against them.There are worst films then The Great Raid, but it does have a lot of problems. It basically is too ambitious for its own good and trying to tell too many story at once. It became too distracting and leaves the audience unsure and who there are meant to focus on. It's trying to tell a war story, a prisoner of war story and a resistance story. It bogs the film down, leaving it to be a little boring. A more sensible route would have been shown a film about the build up and training of the Rangers, whilst showing some scenes of the Prisoner of War camp and then show the troops fighting to get to the camp. The story of resistance could have been told in it's own film. It felt like the film was trying to be The Bridge Over the River Kwai, but obviously not as successful. The film should have been the raid. I also felt that the voice-over by James Franco distracting and gives the audience too much information. The beginning was too similar to the beginning of A Bridge too Far; text at the beginning would have been better.There are some saving graces to the film. There are decent performances, Joseph Fiennes is normally good and put a lot of effort. James Franco was a okay, and so were many of the other performers. The action and war seems are also very good and the final third of the film is pretty exciting. There should have been more war scenes, considering it is a war film.This film could have been so much more. I personally recommend The Bridge Over the River Kwai, or if you want a film about resistance watch Black Book or Lust, Caution.