The Great Raid (2005)

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

William B. Breuer (book)
Hampton Sides (book) (additional material)

Release Date:

12 August 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

Two proud races, brothers-in-arms... A daring mission that will earn them the respect and admiration of the entire world.

Plot:

Taking place towards the end of WWII, 500 American Soldiers have been entrapped in a camp for 3 years. Beginning to give up hope they will ever be rescued, a group of Rangers goes on a dangerous mission to try and save them.

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Rescue | Soldier | American | Japanese

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Benjamin Bratt	...	Lt. Colonel Mucci
James Franco	...	Captain Prince
Robert Mammone	...	Captain Fisher
Max Martini	...	1st Sgt. Sid "Top" Wojo
James Carpinello	...	Cpl. Aliteri
Mark Consuelos	...	Cpl. Guttierez
Craig McLachlan	...	2nd Lt. Riley
Freddie Joe Farnsworth	...	2nd Lt. Foley
Laird Macintosh	...	2nd Lt. O'Grady
Jeremy Callaghan	...	Lt. Able
Scott McLean	...	Lt. LeClaire
Paolo Montalban	...	Sgt. Valera
Clayne Crawford	...	PFC Aldrige
Sam Worthington	...	PFC Lucas
Royston Innes	...	Sgt. Adams

MPAA:

Rated R for strong war violence and brief language.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

Filipino | English | Tagalog | Japanese

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Australia:MA | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:U | Argentina:16 | USA:R (certificate #40855) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R13 | Philippines:PG-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The role of Cesar Montano (as Captain Juan Pajota) was originally offered to Zoren Legaspi who passed the first screening. But Legaspi turned down the project due to his commitment to GMA-7 for a TV soap opera, and that he could not leave his family for a month's shoot in Australia.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Margaret tells the Japanese intelligence agent that being Lithuanian she comes from a neutral country. Starting in 1940, Lithuania was occupied first by the Soviet Union then Nazi Germany. As World War II neared its end in 1944 and the Nazis retreated, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania

Quotes:

Lt. Colonel Mucci: Captain Prince, how did we do?
Captain Prince: Got 'em all sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hannity & Colmes: (2005-08-12)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

You Go To My Head

A must see movie: "The Great Raid"

I saw a preview in Michigan, last Monday. I liked the love story. As mentioned in the former comment, the graphics, scenery, etc. were excellent. I thought the actors were great. I especially liked the music; I thought it matched the movie well. The movie was realistic, profound and inspiring; I was impressed. Additionally, my fiancé (who has a degree in history), his sister, and my brother, also thought the movie was exceptional. The director was there after the showing I went to as well, and one thing that stands out that he said was that war veterans, in general, are reluctant to tell about themselves and their heroics, as they felt that they were simply doing their duty. Especially after seeing the movie, I think it is even more important for war veterans and heroes alike, to come forward with their extraordinary stories, to inspire us all, and to remind us that there are honorable people out there. Thank you to everyone who has served our country!