The Great Raid (2005)

R
132 min
Action
August 12, 2005

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Critics Score

37%

Release Date

August 12, 2005

Director

John Dahl

Writers

William B. Breuer
Hampton Sides
Carlo Bernard
Doug Miro

Cast

Benjamin Bratt
James Franco
Robert Mammone
Max Martini
James Carpinello
Mark Consuelos

Official Website

miramax.com

The Great Raid Synopsis

From director John Dahl comes the gritty and stirring reality-based story of one of the most spectacular rescue missions ever to take place in American history: “the great raid on Cabanatuan,” the daring exploit that would liberate more than 500 U.S. Prisoners of War in the face of overwhelming odds. A gripping depiction of human resilience, the film vividly brings to life the personal courage and audacious heroism that allowed a small but stoic band of World War II soldiers to attempt the impossible in the hopes of freeing their captured brothers.

Once a tale shared across the United States, the long-lost story of THE GREAT RAID has been recreated with meticulous authenticity to pay testimony to the many different people, from U.S. commanders to Filipino soldiers to women aid workers to the POWs themselves, who played a part in turning this time of intense hardship and unrelenting danger into a moment of inspiration.

The film stars Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Marton Csokas and Joseph Fiennes, alongside an international ensemble cast that includes a broad range of up-and-coming American, Filipino, Asian, and Australian actors.

The year is 1945 and hundreds of U.S. soldiers held captive in the brutal Japanese war camp at Cabanatuan in the Philippines are under imminent threat of death. These are the only soldiers who remain alive in the Philippines of the 70,000 American and Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese Imperial Army at Bataan in 1942, following the departure of General MacArthur.

Forced to walk through the sweltering, mosquito-infested jungles on what would become known as the Bataan Death March, the survivors were then held captive in remote and deadly camps. Now, three years later, with MacArthur back as he promised in the Philippines, the Japanese War Ministry has issued a “Kill All Policy” to annihilate their war camps -- and every single U.S. prisoner in them. At a camp named Palawan, 150 U.S. soldiers are forced into trenches, doused in gasoline and set on fire.

Meanwhile, believing themselves all but forgotten by their comrades and country, the surviving prisoners at Cabanatuan have dubbed themselves the “ghost soldiers.” Among them is Major Gibson (Joseph Fiennes), weakened by malaria, who is hanging on by a thread of hope and his love for a Catholic aid worker, Margaret (Connie Nielsen), who has been assisting the Filipino Underground.

Back at the 6th Army Headquarters in nearby Luzon, Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci (Benjamin Bratt), the tough, ambitious but charismatic leader known for inspiring devoted loyalty among his men, has been assigned to find a way to penetrate behind enemy lines and free the U.S. prisoners before it is too late. The task appears to be strategically impossible -- the men will likely face heavy resistance and will be far outnumbered by fearsome Japanese troops -- but Mucci is never deterred by an extreme challenge.

Mucci selects the young, bookish but brilliant Captain Robert Prince (James Franco) to lead the raid, who in turn comes up with an daring plan to have 121 hand-picked, elite Rangers and Alamo Scouts slip 30 miles deep into enemy territory and make a surprise, lightning assault on the camp. To increase the already slim chances for success, the U.S. will join forces with members of the Filipino resistance, led by Captain Juan Pajota (Cesar Montano), whose intimate knowledge of the lay of the land will help to guide the committed band of men to their ultimate goal.

As time begins to run out for the threatened prisoners and the rescue kicks into high gear, what ensues is an astonishing testimony to bravery, self-sacrifice and the ability of the human spirit to triumph over the most daunting adversity.