The Great Raid

Starring: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Joseph Fiennes, Robert Mammone, Sam Worthington
Directed by: John Dahl
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, War
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: During World War II, a small group of American soldiers infiltrate a Japanese POW camp to rescue five-hundred American soldiers being held captive.

Review:

Tim: This film was finally released in theaters three years after it was technically "finished." This is obviously a very bad sign, when a movie sits on a shelf for that long. Surprisingly, these signs didn't point to an obvious disaster. The film is flawed, without a doubt- but it's still significantly better than you would probably expect. Although this is lacking the epic quality of the best war movies, it is still a fairly effective, smaller war film.

The cast is decent, but this is movie is not about individual performances- it is truly about the ensemble. I really did enjoy Benjamin Bratt and James Franco, but neither is singularly excellent. They do work quite well as part of the overall cast, though. This makes the movie feel like a realistic war film, although it's not especially a terrific movie. It lacks a certain degree of character development.

The war scenes are all surprisingly good. The movie as a whole felt a bit rushed, but these scenes don't look like they were done too cheaply. These scenes are effective, nerve-racking, and quite exhilarating. This isn't the best war movie, and I wouldn't consider it among the elite in any category. However, that doesn't stop the film from being entertaining.

The Great Raid tells an interesting story about World War II that hasn't yet appeared on the big screen. It is a fairly strong movie, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Saving Private Ryan, Flyboys, Windtalkers, We Were Soldiers