World War II movies are a staple of American cinema and 2005 isn't going to pass without its own entry in the genre.
According to Miramax' web site, the film, based on the book "Rescuing the Doomed Ghosts of Bataan and Corregidor", by William B. Breuer, is "the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci and Captain Prince who undertake a daring rescue mission...to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp resulting in the most audacious rescue ever."
Apparently the project used to have a cool title like Ghost Soldiers, however in the spirit of the excellent 60's film The Great Escape, a movie about a POW camp jail break, the name was changed to The Great Raid. So much for avoiding confusion with the next National Lampoon movie.
Despite my title gripe, I have to say this movie has me excited. The Bataan death march and related imprisonments played a significant role in the history of the families in the area where I grew up. My good friend's grandfather was a Bataan death march survivor and the event is commemorated in my home town each year. It's nice to see a current movie surrounding some of those events being made. Here's hoping it sticks to history.
The movie stars Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Joseph Fiennes, Connie Nielsen, William Csokas and Mark Consuelos. The Great Raid hits theaters August 12. Check out the images below, courtesy of Blackfilm.com.
