Wuchak Released in 2005 and directed by John Dahl, "The Great Raid" is a WWII war flick based on the real-life rescue of Allied POWs and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan City in the Philippines. On January 30, 1945, the United States Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and Filipino guerrillas saved more than 500 from the POW camp from ensuing death (the Japanese were ordered to "liquidate" all prisoners before evacuating in the face of MacArthur's advance). Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Max Martini, Joseph Fiennes, Connie Nielsen and Marton Csokas star.The rescue, along with the liberation of Camp O'Donnell the same day, allowed the POWs to share the truth about the Bataan and Corregidor atrocities. While the raid had no strategic value, as far as winning the war goes, it sparked a new wave of resolve in the war against Japan. Not to mention, it remains the most successful rescue mission in USA history.Although the movie was shot in 2002, it was pulled from release schedule on several occasions before finally having a limited released in August, 2005, with little-to-no marketing. Was it any wonder it failed to garner an audience and box office success? Be that as it may, this is a solid WWII flick based on a true story. The prisoners of the camp are the survivors of the infamous 60-mile Bataan Death March of April, 1942. The movie's not politically correct in that it shows the truth of the brutal savagery of the Japanese military. The actual raid doesn't take place until the 95-minute mark, but it's worth the wait; the build-up is informational and keeps your attention. While not great, this is a well-done and informative war flick. I'd watch it any day over "Saving Private Ryan."The film runs 132 minutes and was shot in Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia, with the Manila sequences shot in Shanghai, China. GRADE: B- (6.5/10)

Bene Cumb The main strength of this movie is being based on real events and names. The plot, however, is uneven, with a few intertwined story-lines with unequal weight and smoothness: preparation for liberation, life in POW camp, resistance activities, liberation itself. Following all this, we see many similarities with approaches from e.g. The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Thin Red Line, Pearl Harbor - and without upgrade or distinctive twists... There are some protracted and arid scenes, tensions tend to decrease at times. The cast is even, both no prevailing performances; Marton Csokas as Capt. Redding and Connie Nielsen as Margaret Utinsky seemed most interesting to me.All in all, an okay war movie, but no great experience. I would recommend the ones named above instead.

Desertman84 The Great Raid is a World War II film about the Raid at Cabanatuan that located in the Philippines.It was adapted from William Breuer's book of the same name.It stars Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Fiennes, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Motoki Kobayashi and Filipino actor,Cesar Montano. It tells the story of the liberation of the Cabanatuan Prison Camp by the US Military with the help of Filipino guerrillas.It is directed by John Dahl.During the waning days of World War II,General Douglas MacArthur chose to make good on a pledge that he made in 1942 that he would return to the Philippines after he and his troops were forced to retreat. However, MacArthur's determination was more than a matter of pride. Over 500 American soldiers were being held in Cabanatuan, a notoriously brutal prisoner of war camp in the Philippines operated by the Japanese army, and MacArthur wanted to see to it that they made it home. MacArthur chose Lt. Col. Henry Mucci to lead the Sixth Ranger Battalion on a mission 30 miles behind enemy lines to infiltrate Cabanatuan and liberate the American prisoners. With the help of Capt. Prince, Mucci leads his men on a life-or-death raid against forces known for their savagery with the help of Filipino guerrillas.The conclusion of the movie,which was the raid of the prison camp,was well-done by the filmmakers.Unfortunately,the film ran too long due to many subplots such as a love story before the raid.Had the film just focused on what it was suppose to be,it could have been shorter and probably would have become a brilliant film.The performances of the cast were worthy of merit especially Filipino actor,Cesar Montano in his first Hollywood film.In summary,The Great Raid would have become a great film had it focused on the raid itself.

Roedy Green I caught this on KVOS, a station that often shows vintage films. The film was so jingoistic I though it must have been made during WWII. I about to write to the station about selecting such a silly preposterously biased film in these politically-sensitive days, that depicts the American as god-like creatures slaying the reptilians Jap hordes. At times it is as turgid as Charleton Heston in the Ten Commandments. When I looked it up, to my astonishment, I discovered it was made in 2005. Yet it smells as silly and overdone as those Woody Woodpecker or Popeye WWII propaganda films.I take it this film was created as a propaganda piece to sell the Afghan and Iraq wars, by harking back to WW II glory.The musical score is like something out of the 50s with soaring strings and dramatic crescendos, very melodramatic. The film quality is fuzzy too with bad colour, again like a film from WW II. Perhaps that was deliberate to make the film appear to be made in that era.In summary this film has no value other than as propaganda.