Just got back from seeing "The Great Raid."

I don't have enough military knowledge to critique weapons, tactics, stuff like that. In fact, I think doing that sometimes takes away from the bigger picture - whether it's a good movie. And sometimes that has nothing to do with whether or not every technical detail is exactly right.

I thought it was a good movie. I particularly liked James Franco's portrayal of Captain Prince. The movie is the story of the January 28, 1945 raid on the Cabanatuan POW camp, during which Soldiers from the 6th Army Ranger Battalion rescued 511 American POW's - survivors of the horrific Bataan Death March. The official movie website is here. It's not a non-stop-action, "DieHard" kind of film, which is actually kind of refreshing. It focuses more on the compelling facts than on entertaining special effects. Yes, there is violence - it was a war. And in fairness, I thought that the "love story" element was a bit too present. But it wasn't overbearing, and I thought it was important to understand that relationship in its context - how it fit in with the events surrounding the POW's at Cabanatuan.

The movie gives a glimpse into life for the Japanese-occupied Phillipines that I don't think I've seen portrayed anywhere else. And it's a story of heroes. It is "based on true events," so I'm sure a good amount of creative license was taken, but it doesn't seem to have been overdramatized too greatly. There really isn't a whole lot of need to overdramatize - the real events are inspirational enough.

I liked it. A lot. It's a movie that shows you what sorts of extraordinary things ordinary men (and women) sometimes do.

I am left with a few important thoughts:

In the Japanese portrayed in the film (and in historical fact) is a lesson about real prisoner abuse. Believe me, despite media hype and hyperbole, Abu Ghraib is NOTHING next to the prisoner abuse American POW's endured in camps run by people like the WWII Japanese, and the NVA and company. The few incidents that have been investigated don't even hold a candle to what abuse of detainees - or prisoners - really is.

In the actual film clips that follow the film (make sure you stay for the credits) is a lesson about how to honor heroes - how they should all be treated when they come home.

And lastly, in the entire film, there is a reminder:
According to the DoD's POW/Missing Personnel office, more than 78,000 Americans are still unaccounted for from WWII. More than 8,000 are missing from Korea. There are still over 1800 Americans unaccounted for from Vietnam. There are missing crew members from 14 Cold War missions. There is one - Navy Lt. Commander M. Scott Speicher, still unaccounted for from Desert Storm. We should - we must - keep working until they all are brought home, or at a minimum, until their fate is conclusively known.

You can find more information on Americas POW's / MIA's here and here.

You can find more information about the real story behind "The Great Raid" here:

Websites
Cabanatuan American Memorial
Cabanatuan Rescue Roster
Army News Service

Books
"The Great Raid - Rescuing the Doomed Ghosts of Bataan and Corregidor" -- William B.Breuer

"Ghost Soldiers" -- Hampton Sides