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'The Great Raid' never resonates in its rendering of history

Like many previously unreleased Miramax films, The Great Raid has long been on the shelf, perhaps filed under "worthy, earnest, but unexciting."

Miramax 'The Great Raid' C- The verdict: An earnest recreation of a Pacific rescue mission, without emotional resonance. Director: John Dahl Starring: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Fiennes, Mark Consuelos Release date: August 12, 2005 Rating: R for strong war violence and brief language. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "The Great Raid"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

The year is 1945, as an Army Ranger battalion attempts to rescue 500 prisoners-of-war in the Japanese-occupied Philippines, but usually compelling director John Dahl (The Last Seduction, Rounders) falls into the filmmaking patterns of that era with a painstaking, but emotionally distant rendering of history.

Do not feel bad or worry if you are not familiar with the raid on Cabanatuan. The movie version begins with a Cliff's Notes summary of the war in the Pacific, leading up to the Bataan death march and the retrieval of the neglected troops, bringing history-challenged moviegoers up to speed for the sluggish film that follows.

Apparently the major characters are based fairly factually on young, untested, college-educated Capt. Prince (James Franco), his by-the-book commander Lt. Col. Mucci (Benjamin Bratt), plucky, but malaria-ravaged Maj. Gibson (Joseph Fiennes) and Margaret Utinsky (Connie Nielsen), a nurse in Manila who leads efforts to smuggle drugs to the ailing prisoners.

But the stilted dialogue they are given by Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro does not help persuade us of the desired authenticity.

Eventually, the film comes alive with the title raid. Still, the movie never feels epic, merely long.