Inspired by Actual Events

In January 1945 a mixed force of American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters, totaling 200, rescued 502 American, Canadian, and British POWs from certain death at the hands of the Japanese. Fighting a much superior force, numbers wise, they killed over 500 Japanese soldiers while only suffering 2 casualties. This is without a doubt the greatest rescue mission performed by American soldiers.

This story is told in the movie “The Great Raid.” All the director had to do was tell the story, but in true Hollywood fashion he attempted to make it bigger and better and ultimately ended ruining the story. He added people who didn’t exist, made up a love story, and made one of the Japanese into some superhuman freak who knows how to use a mortar, a heavy machine gun, and brawl in a knife fight. Umm…sure.

While I always hate it when gun dopes point out that a real person can’t fire two M-60s at the same time while running down a street, the weaponry for this true story was incredibly false. One shot from a bazooka to the front of a tank causes it to explode into flames, grenades cause huge explosions, and our heroic soldiers pause in the middle of the open to survey their handiwork while getting shot at. And to think that Captain Dye was part of this movie! They must have ignored all his advice, either that or he sold out completely in order to advance his “acting career.”

It was obvious to me that the director and writers must have been "inspired by actual good movies" but they failed to make one of their own.

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie, but all I can give it is 2.5 / 5.


Fritz