The Great Raid DVD
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 Rating: - The Great Raid
As an avid reader of non-fiction (Ghost Soldiers) this is one of my favorite books made into a movie. This is the story of the Greatest Raid almost forgotten.
The movie recounts the story of the Ranger unit performing the raid, the Filipino guerrillas, Japanese captors and the POWs to be rescued.
Sides recount the history of the Bataan Death March, the Battle of Corregidor and their relationship to the Cabanatuan POW camp.

In March of 1942 more than 75,000 (66,000 Filipinos, 1,000 Chinese Filipinos, and 11,796 Americans captured by the Japanese army in the Philippines were forced to march, 90-miles in deep dust, over vehicle-broken macadam roads. Known now as the Bataan Death March, the men were then crammed into rail cars and sent to Camp O'Donnell. Thousands died en route from disease, starvation, dehydration, heat prostration, untreated wounds, and wanton execution. Those few who were lucky enough to travel to San Fernando on trucks still had to endure more than twenty-five miles of marching. Prisoners were beaten randomly, and were often denied promised food and water. Those who fell behind were usually executed or left to die. The sides of the roads became littered with dead bodies and those begging for help.
On the Bataan Death March, approximately 54,000 of the 75,000 prisoners reached their destination. The death toll of the march is difficult to assess, as thousands of captives were able to escape from their guards. All told, approximately 5,000-10,000 Filipino and 600-650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach Camp O'Donnell.
Acting as a staging camp, many of these American prisoners then were sent to prison camps in Japan, Korea, and Manchuria in transports known as "hell ships
Some that were attacked and sunk by allied forces unaware the POW's were abord.

Not until the winter of 1944, and almost three years was there a rescue attempt made for fear of an all out massacre of the POW's.
The Movie tells the story through not only the Rangers eyes but through the eyes of Filipino guerrillas who were key because most of them were on the Bataan march. On June 6 1942 the Filipino Soldiers were granted Amnesty by the Japanese military and released.
No doubt to make the people of the Philippines less likely to revolt and because they were no longer viewed as a threat to them.
They were Key because they knew the camp and the country, a big mistake by the Japanese.
On the 30th January 1945 US Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrillas freed the remaining 500 POW's in an amazing rescue that still today is unparalleled.

Some say the movie is to long, and has two many sub plots but how do you tell a story this big in the time restraints of a Movie?
It should have been more of a Band of Brothers Mini Series that had at least three Parts.
The three-month Battle of Bataan, the POW's stories and the Raid itself all recounted by survivors, Filipino Soldiers and American.

Movies like this help to remind us of the lows in our history and how we should never forget or be forced to repeat them. I give it 4 stars out of 5
Some parts for accuracy were quoted from online sources.
Jeff Parkes

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