HotToastyRag I'm filled with admiration for Robert Aldrich—and Lukas Heller, who co-wrote the script—that he was able to craft such a delicately balanced film. I've never seen a war film with the same unique tone as Too Late the Hero.The film starts with music from Gerald Fried that doesn't reveal anything about the plot; the audience doesn't yet know if they're in for a comedy, drama, or sarcastic commentary. The visual is equally as startling: on an island in the South Pacific, soldiers are literally laying out on the beach working on their tans. A very bronze Cliff Robertson is summoned to his superior, Henry Fonda, and given a new assignment, which he promptly refuses. He clearly has a callous attitude about his part in the war, for he'd rather take his shore leave than accept his transfer to the Philippines. Henry Fonda delivers a very impassioned speech about seeing the bigger picture, and he sends Cliff to the jungle.Cliff's apathetic attitude is met with a host of different personalities as he joins his British allies in his new post. Michael Caine is not optimistic that he'll make it out alive and oftentimes considers deserting, Denholm Elliott is extremely gung-ho about the war effort, Ian Bannen is a loose cannon and could be interpreted as not entirely well, and Percy Herbert isn't particularly loyal. Their assignment is to enter the Japanese-occupied jungle, destroy the enemy's radio, and return to the safe area.It's an extremely dangerous mission, but when they first set off, as Cliff gets to know his fellow soldiers, the tone still balances the extremely fine line of not taking the war seriously and not making the situation comical. As they venture further into the jungle and start fighting the enemy, the tone of the film grows darker. Every section of the film changes the tone, from careless to ominous to hopeless to realistic, and every section is properly motivated by an excellent script and constant obstacles.War films aren't for everyone, and more often than not—just as in every genre—they're not very good. The good ones are worth watching, and Too Late the Hero is excellent. Michael Caine fans are in for a treat, since he's not only dreamy, blond, and in uniform, but also gives a very good performance. And if there's anyone out there who thinks of Cliff Robertson as Spiderman's uncle, they should rent this film to see him in his younger days. Watching this movie is an experience. You'll run through so many emotions that you'll be depleted by the time Ken Takakura shows up, even with so much more of the film to watch. At that point, it'll be hard to believe the film can and does get more suspenseful, and finally, when the ending has stripped you of all your energy, you'll feel utterly exhausted. But then you'll probably tell your friends to go see it.

grafspee Cliff Robertson playing a somewhat reticent U.S. Naval Lieutenant (Lawson) hoping for a long due leave posting, is unexpectedly assigned to a command with a British base on an island in the New Hebrides off the South West Pacific in 1942. Because of his Japanese language skills and directed to penetrate to the north of the island with a British commando force he is given a directive to take control of an enemy radio station and deliver deceptive messages to their adversary in order to confuse Japanese naval intelligence. On arriving at the British base and expecting some form of settling relaxation beforehand, is informed by Commanding Officer Thompson (Played by Harry Andrews), that he will be leaving for his duties in "half an hour".The stunned look on Lawson's face, and at a subsequent pr-briefing put him into a state of disbelief as to what is happening with his association with his British colleagues who are already demonstrating precision control over their already come to attention to duties.Enter British "Limey" Michael Caine (Tosh) an equally disconcerted medical orderly soldier with a totally disloyal uninterested squad of men, led on this patrol by bungling Captain Hornsby (played superbly by Denholm Elliot) who takes his troops to complete disaster with poor judgment of jungle fighting skills. A shootout between them and an unanticipated Japanese Patrol leads to casualties on both sides - with the sarcastic remark of a Corporal describing the affray as though it was the outcome of a Soccer match -"It's been a great day at Hampden Park folks - Hornsby's Hotspurs 5 - Japanese United 3". - all of them scored by Hornsby.Tosh after attending to the dead and wounded replies - "Fairy Feet Hornsby deployed his forces with such a masterful grasp of tactics one half of ourselves got shot by the other half". Another replies - I don't believe it.Tosh again interjects referring to his fallen comrades - go dig out the bullets - you won't find "Made in Japan" written on them.The rest of the patrol in their mission ends in absolute disaster with the loss of Hornsby on his disastrous assault of the radio station. A subsequent discovery of a major Jap naval airstrip there by the remainder of the patrol leads to a chase and run by the enemy in an endeavor to stop them reporting this find.The remainder of the force retreat in a shambles with some of the party becoming victims of the Japanese,either killed or surrendering beforehand, leaving Lawson and Tosh to try to make it back to base.Both eventually leave the jungle perimeter under enemy fire over an exposed field with only one survivor returning.Really great movie full of comedy quips, combined with interesting American - British off beat well quoted differences, and a conclusion deserved of the movie title.

Spikeopath Too Late the Hero is directed by Robert Aldrich who also co-writes the screenplay with Lukas Heller and Robert Sherman. It stars Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson, Henry Fonda, Ken Takakura, Denholm Elliott, Lance Percival, Ronald Fraser and Ian Bannen. Music is by Gerald Fried and cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc.Lawson (Cliff Robertson) is an American naval officer who specialises in Asiatic languages, thus he is sent to a Pacific island to assist a group of British soldiers on what seems a routine mission. The mission is to simply knock out the Japanese army's key transmitter, but as the men get deeper into the jungle terrain it becomes obvious that the odds of survival are minimal at best. With inner fighting escalating and a hostile enemy closing in fast, it's a time for heroes to be born and friendships to be laid bare.Often, and wrongly, considered a weak attempt by Aldrich to cash in on the success of his Dirty Dozen movie three years earlier, Too Late the Hero had been written some ten year previously. Although some way away from the gutsy grandeur and bulging biceps of The Dirty Dozen, TLTH is still a potent war movie. Often claustrophobic in mood and acerbic in war character observations, film holds narrative attention from first reel to last. Bursts of violence drift in and out of the plot to keep things on the boil, but it's the excellently drawn characterisations of the major players that stops this from merely being another run of the mill "insanity of war" movie. It's also nice to find the Japanese are portrayed as an intelligent foe, and not the irksome machine gun fodder so rife in other films of the ilk. It helps to have Takakura turning in a stoic performance as part of the latter, too.Some other astute reviewers has given this film a tag line of it being a unique war film, not a truer line has been typed on the internet forums. This film, tho not bringing anything new by way of the psychological aspects of men under duress, always remains a thoroughly engrossing picture. Helmed by the criminally undervalued Aldrich, film boasts a ream of excellent performers making it unique by bringing to life a screenplay that's not pandering to any conformity's of the genre, it relies totally on strength of dialogue and character formations to capture our interest. Really the only charge from dissenters that might stick here is that it's arguably just another Vietnam allegory that the 70s seemed intent on giving us. Arguably, mind.It's a bloody suicide mission!That the cast list contains Michael Caine (brilliant here with gritty swagger), Cliff Robertson, Denholm Elliott and a barely used Henry Fonda is of obvious interest from the start, but the ace card in Too Late The Hero's pack is with its supporting players, Ian Bannen, Harry Andrews, Ronald Fraser and a serious turn from comedy specialist, Lance Percival, where all of them in the sweltering confines of the Phillipines location manage to pull the viewer into the mix and fully realise the crispness of Aldrich's excellent screenplay; aided superbly by Biroc who manages to convey via his photography some apt sweaty jungle madness. Yes! This is not a film for those wanting guns a blazing at every turn, it's simply not that type of Gung-Ho picture, those bursts of action, while hitting hard, are swamped by the focused action of the human mind at work, the kind where greed, mistrust and a basic survival instinct are the order of the day.The set-up of the two opposing armies on this island is a bit daft, so some suspension of logic is needed from the off, while there's no escaping the fact that there are a number of war movie clichés within. Yet this is still potent stuff, a film with things to say and corrosive in its telling. Making for once, the negativity of such material, still a rewarding viewing experience. 8/10

edwagreen As one who could speak Japanese, Cliff Robertson thought that he could ride out World War 11 sunning himself on a beach. His sunning ends when he is called to go on a dangerous mission to the New Hebrides. There he will encounter danger that he never imagined along with a British crew at each other's throat.The goal was to knock out a Japanese transmitter. This is done but the rest of the film becomes a cat and mouse game as Robertson and Michael Caine try to make it back to their base. The cat and mouse game is played with a Japanese official who speaks to them via a loudspeaker urging them to give up. The exciting ending is one that is rather routine though very difficult.The real acting kudos go to Denholm Elliot in a supporting role as one of the British lead soldiers.Interesting but rather routine warfare.