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.

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.

[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.

[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.