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The first thing I have to say is that this movie deserved a better title. I almost skipped it because the name sounds like some cheesy crime flick. Thank goodness I didn't!
The Great Raid is based on a true story. The setting is WWII, and the US has surrendered the Phillipines leaving 500 Americans stranded in a POW camp. But now the US is close to re-taking the Phillipines, and the Japanese have vowed to kill any POWs instead of releasing them to the enemy. They have already slaughtered Americans at another POW camp by cramming them into air raid shelters, dumping barrels of gas in, lighting them on fire, and mowing down anyone who comes out with machine gun fire.
Bottom line: those 500 Americans are dead if somebody doesn't go get them damn quick. So who gets the call? A green, untested Ranger battalion with green, untested officers in charge. And they're heavily outnumbered?
The acting here is excellent. Benjamin Bratt is perfect as Lt. Colonel Mucci, gruff and inspiring. James Franco also puts on a great performance. Actually, in terms of acting, I can't think of a weak link here. Solid all around.
The best part of this movie, though, is the feel of it. It's like watching an old war movie, except it's polished like a contemporary movie. And the end, the raid, is what I imagine the Missing in Action movies would be like if they had a decent budget. There's a lot of buildup of tension, it even gets a bit slow with the love story (don't worry, it doesn't take away from the film), then bang! Explosions and gunfire and rocket launchers and mortars and tanks and trucks flying through the air!
If you're a fan of war movies, be they old or new, don't miss this one. There's no over-the-top glitz or glamour or silly Oscar monologues, just straight up realism and believeability, down to the very end. This is, after all, a true story. If you remember that these people really did what is in the movie, you can't ask for more. I got lost in it for 132 minutes, and that's the highest praise I can give.
46 says 8/10.
For more info, see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326905/
The Great Raid is based on a true story. The setting is WWII, and the US has surrendered the Phillipines leaving 500 Americans stranded in a POW camp. But now the US is close to re-taking the Phillipines, and the Japanese have vowed to kill any POWs instead of releasing them to the enemy. They have already slaughtered Americans at another POW camp by cramming them into air raid shelters, dumping barrels of gas in, lighting them on fire, and mowing down anyone who comes out with machine gun fire.
Bottom line: those 500 Americans are dead if somebody doesn't go get them damn quick. So who gets the call? A green, untested Ranger battalion with green, untested officers in charge. And they're heavily outnumbered?
The acting here is excellent. Benjamin Bratt is perfect as Lt. Colonel Mucci, gruff and inspiring. James Franco also puts on a great performance. Actually, in terms of acting, I can't think of a weak link here. Solid all around.
The best part of this movie, though, is the feel of it. It's like watching an old war movie, except it's polished like a contemporary movie. And the end, the raid, is what I imagine the Missing in Action movies would be like if they had a decent budget. There's a lot of buildup of tension, it even gets a bit slow with the love story (don't worry, it doesn't take away from the film), then bang! Explosions and gunfire and rocket launchers and mortars and tanks and trucks flying through the air!
If you're a fan of war movies, be they old or new, don't miss this one. There's no over-the-top glitz or glamour or silly Oscar monologues, just straight up realism and believeability, down to the very end. This is, after all, a true story. If you remember that these people really did what is in the movie, you can't ask for more. I got lost in it for 132 minutes, and that's the highest praise I can give.
46 says 8/10.
For more info, see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326905/
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