Too Late the Hero (1970)

A reluctant hero, American Lieutenant Sam Lawson, is secunded to a motley British unit tasked with destroying a Japanese radio on a Philippine island.

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Robert Aldrich (story), Robert Sherman (story)

Stars:

Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson, Ian Bannen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Pvt. Tosh Hearne
Cliff Robertson	...	Lt. Sam Lawson
Ian Bannen	...	Pvt. Jock Thornton
Harry Andrews	...	Col. Thompson
Ronald Fraser	...	Pvt. Campbell
Denholm Elliott	...	Capt. Hornsby
Lance Percival	...	Cpl. McLean
Percy Herbert	...	Sgt. Johnstone
Patrick Jordan	...	Sergeant Major
Sam Kydd	...	Colour-Sergeant
William Beckley	...	Pvt. Currie
Martin Horsey	...	Pvt. Griffiths
Harvey Jason	...	Signalman Scott
Don Knight	...	Pvt. Connolly
Roger Newman	...	Pvt. Riddle

Storyline

A World War II movie set on a Pacific island. Japanese and Allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This movie differs in that some of the "heros" are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese, who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese | captain | behind enemy lines | lieutenant | private | 

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Taglines:

War. It's A Dying Business.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 1970 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Suicide Run

Filming Locations:

Boracay Islands, Malay, Aklan, Philippines

Box Office

Budget:

$6,250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Pictures, Palomar Pictures (I), The Associates & Aldrich Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min (video compilation) 133 min (TCM Print)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) Mono (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The reference to a "long-haired conscientious objector" is a reference to the Vietnam War, rather than World War II.

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Goofs

When Lt. Lawson confers with Col. Thompson in the HQ, the Union Flag on the wall behind Col. Thompson is upside down. In another shot, it is up the right way. During the shoot at Cubi Point in he Philippines, someone stole the flag sometime during the night. They had to send to Hong Kong for another one and the new one was replaced the right way up.

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Quotes

Capt. John G. Nolan: [Sarcastically referring to Lawson whom he secunded to the British] They're gonna love him!

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Alternate Versions

When originally released the US and UK versions each had a different survivor at the end of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Acting: Michael Caine: On Acting in Film, Arts, and Entertainment (1987)

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Soundtracks

Teddy Bear's Picnic
Written by John W. Bratton
Lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy
Sung by the patrol as it leaves the base

User Reviews

WWII forerunner of Aliens!

"Too Late the Hero" is an excellent WWII piece whose plot served as the basis for "Aliens" and "Southern Comfort" and is just as good as those other excellent movies: reluctant hero Cliff Robertson joins a motley group of soldiers (here British troops, including loud-mouthed Michael Caine and mad Ian Bannen) led by an incompetent officer, Denholm Elliot, and an experienced sergeant, Percy Herbert, who dies early on. Soon they are being stalked by a very ruthless enemy (Japanese troops led by Ken Takakura, whose role is, refreshingly, not a stereotype - coming across as a rather efficient officer) and shifty Ronald Fraser attempts to save his skin at the expense of the others. As this is Robert Aldrich there is a lot of brutal action, the characters have very few redeeming features but are excellently portrayed by Robertson and the excellent selection of British character actors, and are very anti-military! The climactic scene where the survivors race across open ground under fire from the Japanese is one of the best climaxes ever!