Too Late the Hero

"War. It's a dying business."

1970 2h 25m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 82

DramaActionWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

“War. It's a dying business.”

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Cast

Michael Caine
Pvt. Tosh Hearne
Cliff Robertson
Lt. Sam Lawson
Ian Bannen
Pvt. Jock Thornton
Harry Andrews
Col. Thompson
Denholm Elliott
Captain Hornsby
Ronald Fraser
Private Campbell
Lance Percival
Cpl. McLean
Percy Herbert
Sgt. Johnstone

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Aldrich
Writers: Robert Aldrich, Lukas Heller, Robert Aldrich
Languages: English
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

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Aldrich, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Caine and Cliff Robertson and Ian Bannen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "War. It's a dying business.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0066471 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 82 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Aldrich directs. Joseph F. Biroc behind the camera. Gerald Fried scores. Michael Luciano cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Robert Aldrich, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Gerald Fried. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Michael Luciano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael Caine and Cliff Robertson and Ian Bannen carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "War. It's a dying business.".
7IMDB entry: tt0066471 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 82 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "world war ii", "british army", "infantry", "philippines".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Original score: Gerald Fried
Editing: Michael Luciano
Runtime: 145 min · 2h 25m
Status: Released
Budget: $6,250,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Too Late the Hero (1970)

Also by

Robert Aldrich

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-03-15
★ 6/10
WW2 jungle warfare In 1942 the Brits have a base at the southern tip of a Jap-held island in the Philippines; a unit is sent on a mission with an American Lieutenant (Cliff Robertson) to take down the radio at the northern end of the isle. Michael Caine plays a troublesome private while Denholm Elliott is on hand as the leader of the patrol. In tone and story, “Too Late the Hero” (1970) is similar to “Ambush Bay” (1966); other comparable flicks include “The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) and “Beach Red” (1967). Of course “Kwai” is superior, but “Too Late” ain’t no slouch. I had a bad attitude during the first half because of some unrealistic scenes. I’m no veteran of jungle warfare, but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be blithely singing songs or loudly talking while traversing jungle trails in enemy territory, especially when it has already been established that Japs could be anywhere. Also, if you’re going to take a nap, wouldn’t it be hidden in the forest undergrowth rather than in a wide open meadow near a trail? Also, am I the only one to find the Jap loudspeaker unit a little unlikely? If you can get past these kinds of eye-rolling flaws, “Too Late the Hero” becomes a gripping and suspenseful Pacific War movie with quality characterizations about a small group of reluctant heroes sweating it out in the jungle and fighting amongst themselves. Even the Jap commander is interesting and unpredictable. The ending is memorable, even iconic; and you don’t know who survives until the final moments. The film runs 2 hours, 13 minutes and was shot in Malay, Aklan, Philippines. GRADE: B
CinemaSerf2023-06-03
★ 7/10
Cliff Robertson is "Lawson", an American soldier drafted in to lead a squad of war-weary British soldiers on a jungle mission to destroy a Japanese radio transmitter. It isn't that his men are in any way cowardly, but with Michael Caine's "Tosh" foremost amongst them, they are disillusioned at the relentlessness of it all. What do they do that ever makes a difference? The film comes alive as the troop must try to evade their pursuing enemy - and all of their dastardly mantraps and psychological warfare - to return to safety of their outpost. The acting from the two leading men, along with some gritty and plausible contributions from stalwarts Ian Bannen and Ronald Fraser amongst others; some angry but focussed dialogue and the claustrophobic nature of their surroundings all lend well to this solidly paced and characterful war story that shows just what can be achieved when a team pull together - in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.