The Highest Honor (1982)

The true story of a daring raid on Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour by Australian and British troops during WWII.

Directors:

Peter Maxwell, Seiji Maruyama

Writers:

Lee Robinson, Yuzuru Shinozaki (book),

Stars:

Michael Aitkens, Vincent Ball, Craig Ballard

Cast

Credited cast:
Michael Aitkens	...	Maj. R.M. Ingleton
Vincent Ball	...	Lt. Cmdr. Hubert Marsham
Craig Ballard	...	Lt. B. Raymond
James Belton	...	Lt. H.R. Ross
Steve Bisley	...	A.B. W.G. Falls
Tony Bonner	...	Lt. W.G. Carey
Alan Cassell	...	Lt. Ted Carse
Warren Coleman	...	Leading Seaman K.P. Cain
Diane Craig	...	Mrs. Page
Slim DeGrey	...	Leading Stoker J.P. McDowell
George Duff	...	Cpl. A.G. Campbell
Tim Elston	...	Sgt. D.P. Gooley
Takuya Fujioka	...	Matsumoto
Ken Goodlet	...	Bill Reynolds
John Griffiths	...	Sgt. C.B. Cameron

Storyline

On 11 September 1944, a squad of 23 Australian and British soldiers lead by Lieutanant-Colonel Ivan Lyon leave Fremantle bound for Indonesia as part of Operation Rimau, an attempted repeat of the highly-successful Operation Jaywick the previous year in which nearly sixty ships in Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour were destroyed.

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Plot Keywords:

british | japanese occupied singapore | australian | singapore | indonesia | 

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Genres:

War | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Japan Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Southern Cross

Company Credits

Production Co:

Southern Films International, Shin Nippon Eiga, Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the producers' previous movie, Attack Force Z, it's opening prologue referred to events portrayed in this film. It states: "Z Special Force was a secret operations unit of the Australian Armed Services in World War Two. It was made up of volunteers from all branches of the Allied Forces and came under direct command of General 'Douglas Macarthur'. Z Special carried out two hundred and eighty-four war time missions in the Pacific. The most publicised of these were the successful canoe raid on Singapore harbour from the 'Krait' and the subsequent Rimau raid in which all twenty three participants were either killed in action or executed. The events depicted in this film are an honest and unflinching account of the type of operation carried out by our unit during the war." 'John R. Gardner' President Z Special Force Association of New South Wales

User Reviews

Outstanding film

Some war movies succeed where others do not, and that can be judged from a variety of angles. The humanistic angle, one where you can feel the raw emotions (the terror of being under attack, the camaraderie amongst soldiers, the arduous trials people face inside them when in combat, etc..) are always movies I find compelling. Movies like Das Boot and A Midnight Clear are but two examples of movies that you sense a connection to the characters in the film.

This film succeeds on that level as well. It speaks of "The Highest Honor" and that honor is doing the right thing. These 23 soldiers did the right thing, they had honor and it is recognized in a way wholly incompatible with Western thought, but it is, to the very end, a true story of honor. Unforgettable movie. Based on the true story.