"The Great Raid" Is Not as Great as the Story

Rating: 6/10 (7 September 2005)

"THE GREAT RAID"(2005) This story is thrilling in concept because it is largely true with only a small fictional romance added for interest. In one of the most daring World War II missions ever undertaken, approximately 120 US Army Rangers were sent deep into the Philippine jungle to rescue 511 Americans held in a Japanese POW camp. The World War II heroes who led this mission later won Distinguished Service Crosses for their uncommon valor and courage.
"The Great Raid" is populated with a large ensemble cast of lesser known actors, all of whom do a superlative job in their roles. This list includes Benjamin Bratt as Lt. Colonel Mucci and James Franco as Captain Prince, who played the the two leaders of the rescue operation along with Connie Nielsen as Margaret Utinsky, the Lithuanian leader of the Manila resistance.
If only the movie were as alive and as fascinating as the real life story. Unfortunately, somewhere between the scripting, directing, and the editing of the film, this movie loses its focus. The pieces were in place for a great film and its heart is in the right place, but the movie plods along as if the writers and the director had lost their way in the Philippine jungle with the soldiers.
Grade: B, Recommended? Yes. Flawed but still fascinating.
Carl Zapffe, The Cat's Meow Movie Critic
http://www.catsmeowmoviecritic.com