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The Great Raid

Play trailer Poster for The Great Raid R 2005 2h 12m War History Drama Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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39% Tomatometer 119 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In early 1945, as World War II is nearing its end, Gen. Douglas MacArthur selects Lt. Col. Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) to command a bold rescue mission in the Philippines. There, in the city of Cabanatuan, more than 500 American soldiers are being held captive in a brutal prisoner-of-war camp. With the assistance of Capt. Prince (James Franco), Mucci will lead the valiant soldiers of the 6th Ranger Battalion in one of the boldest POW rescues in American history.
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The Great Raid

The Great Raid

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Critics Consensus

Though the climax of the film -- the actual raid -- is exciting, the rest of it is bogged down in too many subplots and runs on for too long.

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Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com 09/10/2005
2.5/4
The raid on Cabanatuan is extraordinary. Exciting, tense, full of crackling suspense and filmed with old-fashioned daring, the movie comes alive with crackling electricity it does not know until this very point. Go to Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle 08/14/2005
1.5/5
There are the makings of a fine, moving, epic war film here, but thanks to the inclusion of enough chatty exposition to sink the Bismarck, again, and some just plain silly casting choices, The Great Raid is anything but. Go to Full Review Daniel Fienberg Zap2it.com 08/13/2005
2/4
[S]ometimes the most worthy of stories, the most relevant of history lessons, the most rousing of plots can still become the dullest of movies. Go to Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 11/06/2019
[The Great Raid tells] a tale of courage under fire and serving as a reminder to us all in this day and age that war is not all about smart bombs and precision aerial displays; rather, it exemplifies life, death, honor and courage. Go to Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 04/15/2009
C+
Undeveloped secondary characters and awkward pacing thwarts the movie from achieving its '60s war film ethos similar to "The Great Escape." Go to Full Review Kam Williams Princeton Town Topics 05/25/2007
1/4
Instead of a tribute to a fine chapter in the annals of the Greatest Generation, we have a second-rate romance right out of a cheesy, pulp fiction novel. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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alan G. @agenser Oct 16 A great moment in history ruined by Benjamin Bratty. He can't act. Was flavor of the month. Thank fully his time is up long up. See more Jason P @RT35225999 01/18/2024 Decent flick to have in the background. James Franco seemed out of place. See more john p @RT36225749 03/02/2022 This movie covers an embarrassing era of WWII when the US gov't turned its back on their own for years as the suffered in Japanese terror and death camps & marches. Japanese didn't view their prisoners as humans but as disease to be destroyed once info and/or labor was gained. After the fact a brave but combat-virgin set of American troops go and save the remains of their comrades. A hard movie to watch as men die 'forgotten' but a real boost to see the heroism in the rescue. Hats off to the local resistance that helped the US! See this for an eye-opening look at WWII war crimes and heroism across the Pacific Ocean. See more 01/18/2022 This was n amazing military operation which I had never heard of before. The story was well told and well acted. See more harsh c @H_A_R_S_H 11/27/2021 Lazy acting, maybe resulting from the uninspired script, followed by a highly successful raid which is so straightforward it's hardly suspenseful. See more 03/31/2020 Faithful and truthful of the wars events and symbolizes the hard work and sweat creates for their lives to be won. Only at the beginning to be slowed by plot holes and finding its real raid in the final minutes. See more Read all reviews
The Great Raid

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Cast & Crew

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John Dahl

Director

Benjamin Bratt

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci

James Franco

Captain Prince

Connie Nielsen

Margaret Utinsky

Joseph Fiennes

Major Gibson

Marton Csokas

Captain Redding

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The Great Raid

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Movie Info

Synopsis In early 1945, as World War II is nearing its end, Gen. Douglas MacArthur selects Lt. Col. Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) to command a bold rescue mission in the Philippines. There, in the city of Cabanatuan, more than 500 American soldiers are being held captive in a brutal prisoner-of-war camp. With the assistance of Capt. Prince (James Franco), Mucci will lead the valiant soldiers of the 6th Ranger Battalion in one of the boldest POW rescues in American history.
Director
John Dahl
Producer
Marty Katz, Lawrence Bender
Screenwriter
Hossein Amini, Kevin Lund, Douglas Miro, Carlo Bernard
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films, Village Roadshow Prod.
Rating
R (Strong War Violence|Brief Language)
Genre
War, History, Drama, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 12, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.2M
Runtime
2h 12m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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