'Nothing in our lives will ever be as important as this,' says Lt. Bratt, in a pep talk that some of his boys might have found more depressing than motivational.
The Great Raid (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:41
Rotten:75
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: Though the climax of the film -- the actual raid -- is exciting, the rest of it is bogged down in too many subplots and runs on for too long.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong war violence and brief language
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Aug 12, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $10,074,830
Synopsis: Director John Dahl switches genres from film noir (THE LAST SEDUCTION, RED ROCK WEST) to military actioner with THE GREAT RAID. Following the 1942 Bataan Death March, thousands of U.S. and Filipino... Director John Dahl switches genres from film noir (THE LAST SEDUCTION, RED ROCK WEST) to military actioner with THE GREAT RAID. Following the 1942 Bataan Death March, thousands of U.S. and Filipino soldiers were imprisoned by the Japanese in a POW camp in Cabantauan in the Philippines. Brutalized, starved, and tortured, the prisoners languished in the camp for nearly three years. But in January 1945, an American battalion, with the help of Filipino guerrillas, planned a daring mission--some called it suicide--to rescue the five hundred U.S. soldiers still alive there. The film is told in glorious detail. The story is based on two books, THE GREAT RAID: RESCUING THE DOOMED GHOSTS OF BATAAN AND CORREGIDOR by William B. Breuer and GHOST SOLDIERS: THE EPIC ACCOUNT OF WORLD WAR II'S GREATEST RESCUE MISSION by Hampton Sides. In addition, several men involved in the raid served as consultants on the project. The result is a thrilling, agonizing, and unforgettable war movie like they used to make in the 1940s and 1950s, a celebration of the human spirit. THE GREAT RAID stars Benjamin Bratt as Lt. Colonel Mucci, an offbeat military man who puts his faith in young Captain Prince (James Franco) to lead the dangerous mission. Among the men imprisoned in the camp are Joseph Fiennes as the ailing Major Gibson and Marton Csokas as Captain Redding, who is always trying to escape. Connie Nielsen adds romantic tension as a war widow smuggling much-needed medicine into the camp. [More]
Starring: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Robert Mammone, Max Martini
Starring: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Robert Mammone, Max Martini, Joseph Fiennes, Marton Csokas, Natalie Mendoza, Dale Dye
Director: John Dahl
Director: John Dahl
Screenwriter: Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro
Producer: Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Jonathan Gordon, Lawrence Bender, Marty Katz
Composer: Trevor Rabin
Studio: Miramax Films
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Reviews for The Great Raid
The Great Raid works well as a film when it concentrates on the planning and completion of the mission.
There are the makings of a fine, moving, epic war film here, but thanks to the inclusion of enough chatty exposition to sink the Bismarck, again, and some just plain silly casting choices, The Great Raid is anything but.
Bratt's over-the-top performance is the stuff that bad military recruitment videos are made of.
[S]ometimes the most worthy of stories, the most relevant of history lessons, the most rousing of plots can still become the dullest of movies.
It's not bad, nor are its intentions anything less than noble. But it feels like countless movies before it, reliant on conventional war-movie devices and stock characters.
It lacks both excitement and outrage, and all that remains is solemnity. It makes you wonder whether you should watch the movie or stand at attention.
While one might have wished for a better movie, and a few smarter decisions regarding the screenplay, generally it's a riveting, even inspirational account of an American feat of arms about which few know but about which many more should.
It should sizzle like a fuse, but instead plods along with methodical deliberation.
Feels less like a rousing action adventure than a military-sponsored lesson in invincible patriotic payback.
Dahl's approach may be somewhat pedestrian, but he tells his story clearly and with few unnecessary detours.
The story line is telegraphed from word one and the meticulous unfolding plot plods ahead inexorably without the slightest bit of suspense.
This has modest blood yet almost documentary fidelity, is beautifully sited (Australia's Queensland was main location), and paced to deliver the nerve surges of fear and reward and loss.
Centers on an undeniably brave and extraordinary World War II rescue, yet it fails to excite until its final scenes.
A frustratingly uneven film that's alternately compelling and clumsily handled.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
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