I watched this movie The Great Raid tonite..and it was an excellent movie. Very moving, i have to say i shed a few tears. If anyone hasn't seen it yet..Check it out..its worth the watch..

Set in the Philippines in 1945, "The Great Raid" tells the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) who undertake a daring rescue mission against all odds. Traveling thirty miles behind enemy lines, the 6th Ranger Battalion aims to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the most audacious rescue ever.

Mary (++)

I haven't watched it And it's now off the cinema. It was shown here two weeks ago.

I haven't seen the movie but I read the book about the camp and the raid to liberate the prisoners which I think was called Ghost Soldiers. It's a terrific story.

I agree, very good flick. While they managed to insert a love story into it, they did so tastefully unlike certain other historical movies out there.......

Howdy Mary, and Good Mornin'

I was waiting to see this film since I heard that they had made it. Having read the book {and it is called 'Ghost Soldiers' exer}, I was excited at the idea of a movie about this small piece of history. Even though they took some dramatic license {the 'love story' for example} they told the basic story pretty well.

I always find it interesting what Hollywood feels is important to a story......because quite often they leave out significant things while leaving in insignificant things........
For example, they should have spent a little more time portraying the difficulty of the journey to the camp by the Rangers instead of making it look like a jaunt through the woods. They also could have displayed the pivotal issue the Phillipino guerillas played in holding back the Japanese garrison. And the crawl across the massive expanse of open ground in front of the camp was a Marathon event for the Rangers, but was played down......of course, I was hoping that Hollywood had found an intact P-61 Blackwidow for the camp fly-over instead of the DC-3 (?).....but understood their inability to find one

Apologies for the nits......loved the movie anyway.

Tread.

Tread:

I read an article in either Military History Magazine or World War II magazine about a major rescue raid in the Phillipines. Involved LCVP's and airborne I think. The article pointed out it was a real joint services affair. Was this the same event? And you're right Hollywood always has to have some Love Interest JUnk in these movies. For some reason they think that this is what motivates the soldiers to do these sorts of deeds. I'm assuming here that the love interest woman was in the camp not having seen the movie.

[quote And you're right Hollywood always has to have some Love Interest JUnk in these movies. For some reason they think that this is what motivates the soldiers to do these sorts of deeds. [/quote]

They include this to placate the girlfriends of the 18-24 year olds who are teh prime audience for movies.

Localy, it had a one (maybe two) week run and disappeared. Oh, well, that's what DVD was invented for. Plus you get more info, a more considerate audince with whom to share the movie AND you don't have to wait for a surely dull part to puase for the pause! :-)

Howdy Steve,

No, the Cabanatuan raid didn't include the use of anything mechanized. The rescue you refer to rings a bell.......but unfortunately my synapse's cannot drag it out of my memory banks......
And AJ's right, the reason Hollywood almost always includes a 'love' interest is to put another butt :-)8 in the seat next to the guy who really came to see the movie....... they sell more popcorn that way...

Tread.

Oh, and BTW....when you guys rent/buy the DVD........please wait till the very end of the movie and past the initial credits....because they have some superb photographs that were actually taken during the real rescue and welcome home....those shots alone are worth renting the movie fellas..

A lot of fellow Filipinos liked the movie. I guess I ought to see it, if only to pay tribute to the heroism of our grandfathers. Maybe I'd see it once the DVD's out.

Ironically as I post this I'm looking out my office window towards Manila Bay and I can see the island of Corregidor from here, where the ordeal of most of the soldiers imprisoned in Cabanatuan started.

One day I hope to visit your country...just to walk that sacred / hallowed ground

Give us a holler when you get the chance to fly this way Steve. Bossman aka El Jefe, a fellow IPMS Philippines - Bert Anido Chapter member, is the club's resident expert on WW2 sites.

GIBeregovoy also camped out at Corregidor for a few nights. There's a hotel there for guests but nothing beats fresh air

The movie was based on two books "The Great Raid" by William Breuer. And "Ghost Soldiers" By (I Believe) Hampton Sides. The movie did a great job trying to bring a complicated story about why the prisoners needed to be rescued in the Cabatuan raid. The story also tried to explain why the prisoners ended up there.
The other Raid with the Airborne troops and Amphibiuos (sp?) vehicles is the Los Banos Raid.
brian
P.S. Margeret Utinsky (miss u) husband died in Cabatuan and she was part of the Philipino underground smuggling drugs and food into Cabatuan. Another women Claire Philips (high pockets) was arrested by the Japanese secret police but was later rescue by U.S. forces. Both received the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award for their aid in the raid. Claire Philips story was made onto a movie called"I Was an American Spy"starring Ann Dvorak.

I had the honor of operating with the Filipino Special Forces out of Fort Magsaysay last year, not far from Cabanatuan. Lots of those Japanese buildings apparently being used even today. Can't wait to see the movie. Hopefully time will permit it soon enough.

I believe the the "love story" parts of the movie was another way to also show how brutal the Japanese Imperial Army were to the Filipinos during that war. It was set in Manila which was declared "open city" during the occupation, and showed scenes of "collaborators" (localy called Makapili) as well as the infamous Fort Santiago or the "prison of no return" My dear old Mom who was 8 years old back then would tell stories of how the Japanese would just shoot or bayonet any local out in the streets for being suspected of helping the guerillas to name a few, she has also seen an actual baby throwing into the air and getting catched by a Jap bayonet activity just for "the fun of it". Even my American wife was so shocked to see the brutality while the US soldiers were being massacred though she has heared of such things before.I called up my mother that night after I saw the movie and she told me "now you know how it was when I was a kid!"