The Great Raid (Widescreen Director's Cut)
by John Dahl
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DVD details
Actor: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Joseph Fiennes, Max Martini, Robert MammoneDirector: John Dahl
Cinematographer: Peter Menzies Jr.
Editor: Scott Chestnut
Editor: Pietro Scalia
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language); Tagalog (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 132 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-12-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of The Great Raid (Widescreen Director's Cut)
DVD Review: Flat Telling of an Interesting Story: The Biggest Rescue in US Military History.
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Great Raid" recounts the story of the biggest rescue mission in U.S. military history, which took place in January 1945 in the Philippines. In 1941, Imperial Japan invaded the Philippines. 70,000 American and Philippine troops resisted the invasion, but eventually surrendered in what was the biggest surrender in U.S. military history. Those who survived where placed in brutal Japanese POW camps, where they were not expected to survive. Although aided by the Philippine underground, the troops were given a low priority by the U.S, military, which was focusing its efforts on Europe. Eventually, the tide of the war in the Pacific changed, and the U.S. set out to rescue some of the American POW's before they died at the hands of the Japanese. "The Great Raid" picks up the story at this point.
Lt. Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt), in command of the 6th Ranger Battalion, is given the task of carrying out the seemingly impossible rescue of approximately 500 American POWs being held in the Cabanatuan POW Camp. Captain Robert Prince (James Franco), who narrates the film, plans the raid. The raid would be strategically insignificant, even foolish. It may have been motivated by a desire to do the right thing, or by sentimentality, or by guilt at having abandoned thousands of American soldiers to abominable conditions for 3 years. In any case, it would be a remarkable accomplishment if it succeeded. The films shifts between 3 perspectives on the POW story: The plight of prisoners in the camp and their ranking officer Major Daniel Gibson (Joseph Fiennes). A nurse named Margaret Utinsky (Connie Nielsen) in Manila, who is involved with smuggling medical supplies to POWs. And Lt. Colonel Mucci and his men as they coordinate with the Philippine guerilla forces under the command of Captain Juan Pajota (Cesar Montano).
"The Great Raid" is a dull film about an interesting subject. People are being tortured and murdered left and right, and it nearly lulled me to sleep. Director John Dahl manages to impress upon the audience that the Japanese are doing bad things, but completely fails to convey the enormous stress and terror under which the POWs and their allies lived. "The Great Raid" just never engages emotionally. The raid, itself, is exciting but comes late in the film. I have to give the film credit for bringing this story to my attention, but not for telling it well. The only character who really makes an impression is Capt. Pajota, who is portrayed as extremely competent and indispensible. "The Great Raid" is based on the books "The Great Raid on Cabanatuan" by William Breuer and "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides. The film is a nice intro to the history, but it's weak.
The DVD (Miramax 2005): Bonus features include 8 deleted scenes with optional director's commentary, 4 featurettes, an interactive time line, and an audio commentary. "The Price of Freedom: Making the Great Raid" (19 min) is a meandering documentary featuring interviews with director John Dahl, military advisor Dale Dye, author Hampton Sides, some of the cast, some veterans of the real events depicted in the film, et al. It mostly discusses the history behind the story and filming the raid itself. "Captain Dale Dye's Boot Camp" (8 min) is about the training that the actors went through, under the tutelage of former Marine Dale Dye, to learn how to be soldiers. "Sound Design" consists of a featurette that goes into a lot of detail about mixing the sound (10 min) and a "Mix Board" that allows you to hear any of 6 sound channels for a 3-minute segment of the film as well as the full mix. "The Veterans Remember" (8 min) features interviews with veterans of the actual events of the film, including Robert Prince, in which they talk about their experiences and how they feel about them. "War in the Pacific: Interactive Time Line" allows you to navigate a time line of the events leading up the war in the Pacific, through the war, to it's aftermath. Blurbs about the events are written by William B. Breuer and audio clips are by Hampton Sides. The audio commentary is by director John Dahl, producer Marty Katz, technical advisor Dale Dye, editor Scott Chestnut, and author Hampton Sides. There are some comments about filming in Australia, but it primarily provides additional historical details of the events in the film. English captions and Spanish subtitles are available for the film.
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