The Great Raid

"The most daring rescue mission of our time is a story that has never been told"

2005 2h 12m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🥫

39%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 398🥫39%Rotten Tomatoes●48Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 24,791

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Synopsis

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As World War II rages, the elite Sixth Ranger Battalion is given a mission of heroic proportions: push 30 miles behind enemy lines and liberate over 500 American prisoners of war.

“The most daring rescue mission of our time is a story that has never been told”

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Cast

Benjamin Bratt
Lt. Colonel Mucci
James Franco
Captain Prince
Connie Nielsen
Margaret Utinsky
Logan Marshall-Green
Lt. Paul Colvin
Joseph Fiennes
Major Gibson
Marton Csokas
Captain Redding
Robert Mammone
Captain Fisher
Max Martini
1st Sgt. Sid "Top" Wojo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Dahl
Writers: Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Dahl, shot by Peter Menzies Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pietro Scalia shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Benjamin Bratt and James Franco and Connie Nielsen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Dahl directs. Peter Menzies Jr. behind the camera. Trevor Rabin scores. Pietro Scalia cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 21 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
5Directed by John Dahl, shot by Peter Menzies Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Pietro Scalia shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Benjamin Bratt and James Franco and Connie Nielsen carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The most daring rescue mission of our time is a story that has never been told".
10IMDB entry: tt0326905 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "based on novel or book", "war crimes", "narration", "world war ii".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Menzies Jr.
Original score: Trevor Rabin
Editing: Pietro Scalia
Production design: Bruno Rubeo
Costume design: Lizzy Gardiner
Makeup / hair: Vivien Mepham
VFX supervisor: Chris Godfrey
Sound: David E. Fluhr
Stunt coordinator: Chris Anderson
Runtime: 132 min · 2h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $10,166,502
Return: 13% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Great Raid (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes: 39% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 48/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 24,791 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

John Dahl

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-09-20
★ 7/10
The most successful rescue mission in American history On January 30, 1945, the United States Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and Filipino guerrillas saved more than 500 POWs in the Japanese camp in the Philippines from certain death as the Japanese were ordered to "liquidate" all prisoners before evacuating in the face of MacArthur's advance. Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Max Martini, Joseph Fiennes, Connie Nielsen and Marton Csokas star. "The Great Raid" was based on the books "The Great Raid on Cabanatuan" and "Ghost Soldiers." I've read the latter and it's interesting seeing the film for live-action visuals of what I saw in my head. The rescue, along with the liberation of Camp O'Donnell the same day, allowed the POWs to share the truth about the Bataan and Corregidor atrocities. While the raid had no strategic value, as far as winning the war goes, it sparked a new wave of resolve in the war against Japan. Not to mention, it remains the most successful rescue mission in USA history. Although the movie was shot in 2002, it was pulled from release schedule on several occasions before finally having a limited released in August, 2005, with little-to-no marketing. Was it any wonder it failed to garner an audience and box office success? Be that as it may, this is a solid WW2 flick based on a true story. The prisoners of the camp are the survivors of the infamous 60-mile Bataan Death March of April, 1942. The movie's not politically correct in that it shows the truth of the brutal savagery of the Japanese military. The actual raid doesn't take place until the 95-minute mark, but it's worth the wait; the build-up is informational and keeps your attention. While I wouldn't call it great, it's a well-done and informative war flick for those interested in the subject. It's even better if you've read either of the books on which it's based. The film runs 2 hours, 12 minutes, and was shot in Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia, with the Manila sequences shot in Shanghai, China. GRADE: B

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