Valid attempt but not big screen material

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2006)

When I saw this on my shelves at my local video store I was immediately drawn to it. Benjamin Bratt who I've become a fan due to his recent Television work in E-Ring, James Franco, World War 2, rescue mission, sounded like a gem to me and I wasn't disappointed by any means but on a budget of seventy million dollars I was a little surprised by the little better than made-for-TV quality of film. I don't know if it was released commercially although I assume on a budget of that size it would have been but there was most definitely something missing to make it that big screen magic.
For the most part the story is quite interesting. A group of American POW's who have spent the last three years in a grueling Japanese work camp where they are tortured and dying off one by one. Nearby a new batch of well trained Rangers led by Lt. Colonel Mucci is preparing to launch a daring rescue mission to save them all. The Film shows us two sides to the story although attempts to show three. The first side is the Rangers as they prepare and carry out their rescue mission which gives most of the action element. James Franco plays Captain Prince who is in charge of planning this raid and making sure everything goes off without a single hitch. Franco brings his usual intensity to the screen and does a decent job but his character is mostly empty without any real substance. Same with Benjamin Bratt, who plays Lt. Colonel Mucci. It's like he's there just to be a name to the film (and he's not even that much of a name) but his character is more or less completely vapid with no background or real point. They try to establish him with the talk from the other soldiers but it never really takes hold. I don't blame Bratt or Franco but just a poorly written character arc. The second side to the story and the more focused and interesting is that of the American POW's. Sadly I can't remember or figure out which actor played the leader of the POW's but he does a great job and probably the best in the film. Heartbroken about being away from his lady love, struck with malaria, and desperate to keep his men alive and hopes up his performance is emotional and touching. Connie Nielsen plays his lady love who is working on the outside to smuggle supplies and much needed medicine to the POW's but it's getting harder to do so and the Japanese are on to the Underground resistance. The third side of the film tries to be (but fails) the side of the Filipinos who work side by side with American Rangers to help them get the POW's. In my mind it would seem that they put their lives on the line in a big way to help but the film didn't really focus on them despite the fact that they faced the biggest casualties and were far more targeted than the Americans. There was much more story to be told.
Director John Dahl has a style that tends to be a little vapid. His previous work doesn't have a lot of depth or real meat to it and for a film of this magnitude dealing with a historical moments of this caliber I don't think he was the right choice. However all said and done it's not a bad movie at all. It has it's moments, and the action and the Raid itself is intense and well done and the scenery and setting is gripping and gut wrenching but scenes of torture and death don't really tug at your heart strings because it's not handled with the delicacy and style that it needed to be. It's worth seeing but it won't stick with you for long, it's mostly forgettable especially in a day and age when there is some truly stupendous WWII films out there. 7/10