VividSimon Simply Perfect

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

Steineded How sad is this?

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

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)

accts-836-237973 I really don't understand why this movie did not receive critical acclaim. I am a big war movie person and have pretty much seen them all from the 1040's to the present. the account of the heroism of these rangers and Filipino freedom fighters is truly inspiring and makes me shiver like when I hear the national anthem. I think it is as good if not better than any war movie in the last twenty years. the subject alone is awe inspiring and the presentation of the entire story is unbelievable. the fact that it is a true story makes it all the more invigorating to watch. it's a movie you can definitely watch multiple times and get that patriotic feeling each time. in reading most of the bad reviews it seems like they are: Anti American and American policy, even saw one quoting Bush politics and Iraq. saying it was American Propaganda, flag waving. thought I was back in the 60's when us soldiers would get spit on.the movie wasn't perfect enough for perfectionist movie makersAnti violence showing how brutal the Japanese were and they were that bad and worse. when I was young a friend of mines father had pictures of Japanese brutality in china like beheadings, etc. what is shown in the movie is mild compared to what the Japanese actually did to Americans and other people in countries they conquered. one person claimed it was being racist against Japanese.if you eliminate all these BS low ratings the movie would probably be rated a 10.

sprtpilot What would the result be if they made a war movie where all the actors were heavily sedated during production? Now we know! Even calling this drivel a "war movie" is a travesty. And what was the budget for this thing? Like two million? With zero for the writers? If you try to watch this without the benefit of a fast forward function, good luck to you. In fact, you can watch the entire thing while in fast forward. At that rate, it almost appears as if there is some action (but not much). Much, much better movies have been made portraying the Phillipine theatre of conflict in WWII and even the sub-set of American POWs there has been done quite well, so what was the point of this mish mash?

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.