The Great Raid
Encyclopedia
The Great Raid is a 2005 war film
about the Raid at Cabanatuan
, adapted from William Breuer
's book of the same name. It tells the story of the January 1945 liberation of the Cabanatuan Prison Camp
on the Philippine island of Luzon
during World War II
. It is directed by John Dahl
and stars Benjamin Bratt
, Joseph Fiennes
, James Franco
, Connie Nielsen, Motoki Kobayashi and Cesar Montano
. The principal photography
took place from July 4, to November 6, 2002, but its release was delayed several times from the original target of fall 2003.
The film opened in theaters across the United States
on August 12, 2005, three days before the 60th anniversary of V-J Day.
The real-life efforts of Filipino
guerrilla
s are also specifically highlighted, especially a stand at a bridge that delayed Japan
ese reinforcements. These units fought alongside Americans against Japanese occupiers during the war.
ese held some of the American prisoners who had survived the Bataan Death March
in a notorious POW camp at Cabanatuan and subjected them to harsh treatment; many prisoners were also stricken with malaria
. At the time of the raid the camp held about 500 prisoners.
The film opens with the massacre of prisoners of war on Palawan by the Kempeitai
, the Imperial Japanese military's secret police.
Meanwhile at Lingayen Gulf
, the 6th Ranger Battalion
under Lt. Col Mucci
is ordered by Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger
to liberate all of the POWs at Cabanatuan prison camp before they are killed by the Japanese. The film chronicles the efforts of the Rangers, Alamo Scouts
from the 6th Army and Filipino guerrillas as they undertake the Raid at Cabanatuan
.
Throughout the film, the viewpoint switches between the POWs at Cabanatuan, the Rangers, the Filipino resistance
and the Japanese.
In particular, the film covers the resistance work undertaken by nurse Margaret Utinsky
, who smuggled medicine into the POW camps. The Kempeitai arrested her and sent her to Fort Santiago
prison. She was eventually released, but spent six weeks recovering from gangrene
as a result of injuries sustained from beatings. Once recovered, she escaped to Bataan, where she served as a nurse with the Philippine Commonwealth troops and recognized guerrilla units until liberation in February 1945.
night fighter to divert Japanese attention while the Rangers were crawling toward the camp (but the aircraft used in the movie was a Lockheed Hudson
, because none of the four surviving P-61s were airworthy when the film was made).
The movie was filmed in south-east Queensland
, Australia
utilising a huge, authentic recreation of a prisoner of war camp. In addition, numerous local Asian students were employed to play Japanese soldiers.
The movie was shot in 2002 but it was pulled from release schedule on several occasions. It was finally released in August 2005, by Miramax Films
, which coincided with the formal departure of co-founders Bob
and Harvey Weinstein
from the company.
based on 29 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes
, the film had a score of 35% based on 112 reviews. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was that the film was too long with too many subplots, although the actual raid was exciting. However, it received more praise from Chicago Sun-Times
critic Roger Ebert
, who gave it three stars.
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
about the Raid at Cabanatuan
Raid at Cabanatuan
The Raid at Cabanatuan was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines...
, adapted from William Breuer
William Breuer
William B. Breuer was an American military historian. His best known work, The Great Raid, was later turned into a movie of the same name.Books by William B...
's book of the same name. It tells the story of the January 1945 liberation of the Cabanatuan Prison Camp
Raid at Cabanatuan
The Raid at Cabanatuan was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines...
on the Philippine island of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It is directed by John Dahl
John Dahl
John Dahl is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in the neo-noir genre.-Life and career:John Dahl was born in Billings, Montana, the second of four children . Dahl spent his young life in and around Montana all the way up through his college years...
and stars Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Traffic, and Piñero.-Early life:Bratt was born in San Francisco, California,...
, Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...
, James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
, Connie Nielsen, Motoki Kobayashi and Cesar Montano
César Montano
Cesar Manhilot, known by his screen name Cesar Montano, is a multi-awarded Filipino actor and film director.He started in show business as a stuntman. He played roles in numerous B movies...
. The principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
took place from July 4, to November 6, 2002, but its release was delayed several times from the original target of fall 2003.
The film opened in theaters across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on August 12, 2005, three days before the 60th anniversary of V-J Day.
The real-life efforts of Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
s are also specifically highlighted, especially a stand at a bridge that delayed Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese reinforcements. These units fought alongside Americans against Japanese occupiers during the war.
Plot
In the winter of 1944, World War II was coming to a close. The JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese held some of the American prisoners who had survived the Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
in a notorious POW camp at Cabanatuan and subjected them to harsh treatment; many prisoners were also stricken with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. At the time of the raid the camp held about 500 prisoners.
The film opens with the massacre of prisoners of war on Palawan by the Kempeitai
Kempeitai
The was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but a French-style gendarmerie...
, the Imperial Japanese military's secret police.
Meanwhile at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
, the 6th Ranger Battalion
6th Ranger Battalion
The 6th Ranger Battalion was a United States Army Ranger Battalion which saw action in the Pacific during World War II. The battalion is best known for its role in the Raid at Cabanatuan in January 1945.-98th Field Artillery Battalion:...
under Lt. Col Mucci
Henry Mucci
Henry Andrew Mucci was a colonel in the United States Army Rangers. In January 1945, during World War II, he led a force of 128 Army Rangers on a mission which rescued 512 survivors of the Bataan Death March from Cabanatuan Prison Camp, despite being heavily outnumbered.- Youth :Mucci was born in...
is ordered by Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger was an American soldier of German descent and General in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II...
to liberate all of the POWs at Cabanatuan prison camp before they are killed by the Japanese. The film chronicles the efforts of the Rangers, Alamo Scouts
Alamo scouts
The Alamo Scouts was a reconnaissance unit of the Sixth United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II...
from the 6th Army and Filipino guerrillas as they undertake the Raid at Cabanatuan
Raid at Cabanatuan
The Raid at Cabanatuan was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines...
.
Throughout the film, the viewpoint switches between the POWs at Cabanatuan, the Rangers, the Filipino resistance
Military history of the Philippines during World War II
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was invaded by the Empire of Japan in December 1941 shortly after Japan's declaration of war upon the United States of America, which controlled the Philippines at the time and possessed important military bases there. The combined American-Filipino army was...
and the Japanese.
In particular, the film covers the resistance work undertaken by nurse Margaret Utinsky
Margaret Utinsky
Margaret Elizabeth Doolin Utinsky was an American nurse who worked with the Filipino resistance movement to provide medicine, food, and other items to aid Allied prisoners of war in the Philippines during World War II. She was recognized in 1946 with the Medal of Freedom for her actions.-...
, who smuggled medicine into the POW camps. The Kempeitai arrested her and sent her to Fort Santiago
Fort Santiago
Fort Santiago is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila, Philippines. José Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, was imprisoned in the fort before his execution in 1896...
prison. She was eventually released, but spent six weeks recovering from gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
as a result of injuries sustained from beatings. Once recovered, she escaped to Bataan, where she served as a nurse with the Philippine Commonwealth troops and recognized guerrilla units until liberation in February 1945.
Production notes
The Americans used a Northrop P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
night fighter to divert Japanese attention while the Rangers were crawling toward the camp (but the aircraft used in the movie was a Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
, because none of the four surviving P-61s were airworthy when the film was made).
The movie was filmed in south-east Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
utilising a huge, authentic recreation of a prisoner of war camp. In addition, numerous local Asian students were employed to play Japanese soldiers.
The movie was shot in 2002 but it was pulled from release schedule on several occasions. It was finally released in August 2005, by Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
, which coincided with the formal departure of co-founders Bob
Bob Weinstein
Robert "Bob" Weinstein is an American film and theatre producer, the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company.-Career:...
and Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
from the company.
Cast
- Benjamin BrattBenjamin BrattBenjamin Bratt is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Traffic, and Piñero.-Early life:Bratt was born in San Francisco, California,...
as Lt. Col. Henry MucciHenry MucciHenry Andrew Mucci was a colonel in the United States Army Rangers. In January 1945, during World War II, he led a force of 128 Army Rangers on a mission which rescued 512 survivors of the Bataan Death March from Cabanatuan Prison Camp, despite being heavily outnumbered.- Youth :Mucci was born in... - James FrancoJames FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
as Capt. Robert PrinceRobert Prince (Captain)Robert Prince was a captain in the United States Army's elite 6th Ranger Battalion. In 1945 he was chosen personally by Lt. Col. Henry A. Mucci to plan the rescue at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines.-Personal life:... - Sam WorthingtonSam WorthingtonSamuel Henry J. "Sam" Worthington is an English born, Australian actor. After almost a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and the lead role, Jake Sully, in James Cameron's science...
as Pfc. Lucas - Cesar MontanoCésar MontanoCesar Manhilot, known by his screen name Cesar Montano, is a multi-awarded Filipino actor and film director.He started in show business as a stuntman. He played roles in numerous B movies...
as Capt. Juan PajotaJuan PajotaCaptain Juan Pajota was involved in the Raid at Cabanatuan, an action which took place in the Philippines on 30 January 1945 by US Army Rangers and Filipino guerrillas and resulted in the liberation of more than 500 American prisoners of war from a Japanese POW camp near Cabanatuan.A local from... - Logan Marshall-GreenLogan Marshall-GreenLogan Marshall-Green is an American actor best known for his roles in Dark Blue, The O.C., 24, and Traveler.-Early life:...
as Lt. Paul Colvin - Robert MammoneRobert MammoneRobert Mammone is an Australian actor who has many television and film credits.-Filmography:* Sons and Daughters * All the Way * Embassy * The Crossing...
as Capt. Fisher - Joseph FiennesJoseph FiennesJoseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...
as Maj. Gibson - Kenny DoughtyKenny DoughtyKenny Doughty is an English actor who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Married to the actress Caroline Carver.-Filmography as Director:-Filmography as Actor:...
as Pitt - Max MartiniMax MartiniMaximilian Carlo "Max" Martini is an American film, theater and television actor known for his roles as Corporal Fred Henderson in Saving Private Ryan, Wiley in Level 9, First Sergeant Sid Wojo in The Great Raid, and as Master Sergeant Mack Gerhardt on the military television drama, The...
as 1st Sgt. Sid "Top" Wojo - James CarpinelloJames CarpinelloJames Carpinello is an American film, television, and Broadway actor who came to national attention with his appearances in Tori Spelling's VH1 sitcom So NoTORIous. He is also in Rock of Ages.-Broadway productions:...
as Cpl. Aliteri - Marton CsokasMarton Csokas-Early life:Csokas was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. His mother, a nurse, is of Irish and Danish descent; his Hungarian-born father, also named Márton Csókás, worked as a mechanical engineer...
as Capt. Redding - Mark ConsuelosMark ConsuelosMark Andrew Consuelos is a Spanish-born American television and film actor.-Personal life:Consuelos was born in Zaragoza, Spain to a Mexican father and an Italian mother. He is the youngest of three children, he has a brother, who is a doctor, and a sister, who is a lawyer. Consuelos has lived in...
as Cpl. Guttierez - Craig McLachlanCraig McLachlanCraig McLachlan is an Australian actor and singer. He appeared in shows such as Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, Bugs and Home and Away.-Biography:...
as Lt. Riley - Freddie Joe FarnsworthFreddie Joe FarnsworthFreddie Joe Farnsworth is an American stunt performer/co-ordinator, actor and military advisor in the television and motion picture industries.His credits include acting roles in Spy Game, "Band of Brothers," and...
as Lt. Foley - Laird MacintoshLaird MacintoshLaird Macintosh is an American actor . He is best known as the host of the NBC reality television program Treasure Hunters....
as Lt. O'Grady - Jeremy CallaghanJeremy CallaghanJeremy Callaghan is an Australian actor whose portrayal of the cute and shy Constable Brian Morley on the popular TV drama Police Rescue ensured international attention...
as Lt. Able - Paolo MontalbánPaolo MontalbánPaolo Montalban is a Filipino-American actor and singer best known for his performance in ABC/Disney's telepic of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella as Prince Christopher, opposite Brandy as Cinderella....
as Sgt. Valera - Clayne CrawfordClayne CrawfordClayne Crawford is an American film actor with a few episodic television appearances. Crawford has appeared in such films as A Walk to Remember , Swimfan , A Love Song for Bobby Long and The Great Raid . He had a recurring role in the first season of Jericho as Mitchell "Mitch" Cafferty...
as Cpl. Alridge - Royston Innes as Sgt. Adams
- Dale DyeDale DyeDale Adam Dye is an American actor, presenter, businessman, and retired U.S. Marine captain who served in combat during the Vietnam War.-Early life & Marine service:...
as Lt. Gen. Walter KruegerWalter KruegerWalter Krueger was an American soldier of German descent and General in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II... - Brett TuckerBrett TuckerBrett Alan Tucker is an Australian actor and singer. He was a series regular in The Saddle Club and McLeod's Daughters...
as Maj. Robert LaphamRobert LaphamRobert Lapham was a reserve Lieutenant in the US Army in World War II.He served in the Philippines attached to the 45th Infantry , evaded capture in the spring of 1942, and organized a guerrilla regiment in the Central Plains of the northern island of Luzon... - Connie Nielsen as Margaret UtinskyMargaret UtinskyMargaret Elizabeth Doolin Utinsky was an American nurse who worked with the Filipino resistance movement to provide medicine, food, and other items to aid Allied prisoners of war in the Philippines during World War II. She was recognized in 1946 with the Medal of Freedom for her actions.-...
- Natalie MendozaNatalie MendozaNatalie Jackson Mendoza is a Hong Kong-born Australian-British-Filipina classical theatre-trained actress and musician. She is best known for her role as one of the main characters, Jackie Clunes in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon and as tough girl Juno in the acclaimed horror thriller The...
as Mina - Eugenia YuanEugenia Yuan-Biography:A Hong Kong Film Awards winner and daughter of martial arts legend Cheng Pei Pei, Eugenia Yuan started out her career not as an actress, but as a rhythmic gymnast for the U.S...
as Cora - Richard Joson as Capt. Eduardo JosonEduardo JosonEduardo L. Joson was a captain of Filipino guerrillas during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. He later became the Governor of the Nueva Ecija Province in the Philippines from 1959 to 1992, making him the longest serving politician serving one government position in...
- Motoki Kobayashi as Major Nagai
- Masa YamaguchiMasa YamaguchiMasa Yamaguchi is a professional actor who appeared in the movie The Condemned.- Professional life :Masa Yamaguchi studied acting at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2001. He later appeared in the film The Condemned as Saiga, a Japanese killer, who later teams up with...
as Lt. Hikobe - Yutaka Izumihara as Sgt. Major Takeda
- Scott Robert Sullivan as Pfc. Johnson
Reception
As of August 2007, the film had a score of 48 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 29 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film had a score of 35% based on 112 reviews. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was that the film was too long with too many subplots, although the actual raid was exciting. However, it received more praise from Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, who gave it three stars.