Saw a sneak of THE GREAT RAID tonight:

To begin with I am not a great fan of war films, as I am not a big fan of war in general, 

I find the cost of it outweighs the reward, in my opinion.  

However, as Marton was in it and James Franco, I thought I would give it a shot.

The film centers on a time in WWII, after the Bataan Death March, when a group 
of about 500 American soldiers are taken as POW's by the Japanese outside 
Manila.  A small group of Rangers is sent in to get them out.  

Let me say first off that I think the real men who were involved with this 
mission are great heroes and I find it amazing that they would risk their own 
lives to save their fellow officers.  This is truly an inspiring story.  

Had the film only been as good as the reality.....

I had high hopes when it started, the first 10 minutes shows actual black and 
white news footage from the time with a voiceover by James Franco telling the 
history leading up to the raid.  There is a similar sequence at the end of 
the film which shows the actual men whom the characters were based on in news 
footage from the day.  This was really moving and patriotic.

Then the film starts.  I can't really fault the actors as much as I would 
like to.  The script is simply atrocious.  I personally didn't have any knowledge 
of this event beforehand and I could have written a better script.  The 
dialogue is so bad it's laughable.  I mean roll your eyes kind of bad. All of the 
characters are like bad rejects from Central Casting.  The self assured 
stereotypical Colonel, the young, eager Captain, the brave POW who maintains his 
dignity and grace throughout it all, the beautiful widow working with the 
resistance to try to save the POW who she is secretly in love with.....you get the 
idea.

As I said before, the acting is really not bad, they make do with what they 
have.

Benjamin Bratt (Lt. Colonel Mucci) is fine as the Colonel, plays him the 

best he can given the way it is written, and looks damn fine in his Army Green.

James Franco  (Captain Prince) is really likable as the young, eager 

officer - given that he really doesn't have any character arc...scary since his 

is truly one of the leads in the film.

Connie Nielsen (Margaret Utinsky)  is really quite good as the widow working

 with the resistance, I actually believed her more than almost anyone else in the film.

Marton Csokas (Celeborn, LOTR) is wonderful (when is he not!) as 

Captain Redding is the kind of the comedic sidekick that has a pivotal part in the script.

Joseph Fiennes  (who I find infinitely more talented than his overblown brother 
Ralph) is good as Major Gibson if a bit over the top as the POW.

The script is bad enough, but when you put it with the music that is so 
melodramatic and just loud; it is like watching an old silent film. Plus, can 
someone make me understand why men who have been in the war and stuck in prison 
camps for 3 years have time to gel their hair and perfect their perfectly groomed 
5-o-clock shadows?!?!?

I found this film to be astonishingly bad, like Mindhunters bad...but if 
you like war films...it is brutal and bloody, so you might find you like it more 
than I.....

Suz 

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