A highly underrated film

Rating: 8/10 (25 October 2005)

I have seen this film twice. The second time I was more convinced of its beauty. The film is beautifully lit and filmed and the art direction is superb. The acting from Joseph Feinnes, Connie Neilson, and Marton Csokas is excellent. Benjamin Bratt's performance seemed a little thin, but he honestly doesn't have a huge part in the film. I almost wanted to scream the word enunciate at James Franco by the end of the film. His character's narration of the film is fine, but his dialogue is a little mushy. The film isn't really about the raiders, it's about the raid. This approach led to scant character development for the raiders and the audience being told what was about to happen way too many times. The character development for the POWs was excellent and this made the audience really want the raiders to be successful. It wasn't quite the kind of war movie I enjoy, but it is a great throw-back to the war films of the 50s and 60s.