The Great Raid, after all, has a story that is set in the Philippines (although the film was entirely shot abroad), uses Filipino actors and is about a chapter in Philippine history (the Second World War).
The film is actually based on two books about the Pacific War – the battle here in the Philippines in particular: The Great Raid on Cabanatuan by William Breur and Hampton Sides’ Ghost Soldier.
The main focus of the story is the rescue of 500 or so sick and starving POWs being held captive by Japanese forces in Cabanatuan toward the days of liberation by an American troop led by Lt. Col. Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) – with the help of Capt. Robert Prince (James Franco).
Held prisoner with his men in the Japanese camp is Major Gibson (Joseph Fiennes) who is afflicted with malaria. Although weak and close to dying, he hangs on to dear life for the sake of the soldiers under him and his love for Margaret Utinsky, a blonde Caucasian from neutral Lithuania who works with a Filipino underground movement based in Manila and secretly sends supplies to American and Filipino war prisoners in Central Luzon.
A subplot about how Filipino guerrillas led by Juan Pajota (Cesar Montano) helps in the rescue of the POWs in Cabanatuan is also included in the story of The Great Raid.
As a war movie, The Great Raid – as directed by John Dahl – is not as riveting as The Deer Hunter, Platoon or Saving Private Ryan. The film, in fact, tends to drag at times. The battle scenes – although not that many – however can bring you to the edge of your seat, especially during the actual rescue. The atrocities committed by the Japanese during those dark years in our history are also dramatized effectively and in such a manner that the present generation of Filipinos will be thankful not to have lived through World War II.
I don’t know about the American audiences, but the Filipino viewer will surely pay attention to every single detail of The Great Raid – particularly the production design.
Indoor shots actually succeed in capturing the basic design of the Filipino home during that period. In the outdoor scenes, the city landscape could pass for Escolta. The film, unfortunately, fails to convince Filipinos that the scenes in the fields and forests are in the Philippines – in spite of the coconut trees dotting the camps that were obviously put there just for the shoot. Here you notice immediately the arboreal difference between the Orient and the Americas.
Aside from watching out for flaws in the production design, the Pinoy viewer will also be kept busy making mental checklist of the Filipino actors involved in the movie: Alvin Anson, Rez Cortez, Paolo Montalban, Mars Cavestany, Noel Trinidad Jr., Ryan Eigenmann, Ebong Joson, RJ Leyran, Rommel Montano and, of course, Cesar Montano.
Even if Montano comes out only after one hour into the screening (the film is more than two hours long), it is an important role that he plays in The Great Raid. I also have to say that it is an impressive screen appearance that he makes there and – I hope I’m not just being biased – but I think Cesar Montano has more star quality than most of the Hollywood actors featured in this film. He really stands out side by side with them – not only because of his brown color, but also because of his talent as an actor.
Of course, in fairness to Benjamin Bratt and company, their roles don’t ask for much in the acting department. They really are like cardboard characters thrown into this war story. Basically, you don’t feel for them because they are not provided with individual background stories.
The only one who manages to succeed (but only with little success) in fleshing out her character is Connie Nielsen. Unfortunately, even if she is supposed to be a real character (she was given a medal of valor after the war by President Truman), you still have doubts in your mind how she managed to survive wartime Manila considering the fact that she stands out from the rest of the crowd. Maybe the character Margaret Utinsky must have really walked the streets of Manila during the war, except that she probably was not as blonde and as statuesque as Connie Nielsen.
But for all of the flaws of The Great Raid, I still encourage Pinoy viewers to watch it because it is one film that shows how Filipinos can be so heroic and valiant (never mind the makapili and the mercenary played by Ryan Eigenmann) and you come out of the cinema feeling proud of our race.
The Great Raid may not be a great war movie, but it is a great showcase of the Filipino bravery and heroism and, of course, the great acting talent of Pinoy actors.