Too Late the Hero (1970)
I’m filled with admiration for Robert Aldrich—and Lukas Heller, who co-wrote the script—that he was able to craft such a delicately balanced film. I’ve never seen a war film with the same unique tone as Too Late the Hero.
The film starts with music from Gerald Fried that doesn’t reveal anything about the plot; the audience doesn’t yet know if they’re in for a comedy, drama, or sarcastic commentary. The visual is equally as startling: on an island in the South Pacific, soldiers are literally laying out on the beach working on their tans. A very bronze Cliff Robertson is summoned to his superior, Henry Fonda, and given a new assignment, which he promptly refuses. He clearly has a callous attitude about his part in the war, for he’d rather take his shore leave than accept his transfer to the Philippines. Henry Fonda delivers a very impassioned speech about seeing the bigger picture, and he sends Cliff to the jungle.
Cliff’s apathetic attitude is met with a host of different personalities as he joins his British allies in his new post. Michael Caine is not optimistic that he’ll make it out alive and oftentimes considers deserting, Denholm Elliott is extremely gung-ho about the war effort, Ian Bannen is a loose cannon and could be interpreted as not entirely well, and Percy Herbert isn’t particularly loyal. Their assignment is to enter the Japanese-occupied jungle, destroy the enemy’s radio, and return to the safe area.
It’s an extremely dangerous mission, but when they first set off, as Cliff gets to know his fellow soldiers, the tone still balances the extremely fine line of not taking the war seriously and not making the situation comical. As they venture further into the jungle and start fighting the enemy, the tone of the film grows darker. Every section of the film changes the tone, from careless to ominous to hopeless to realistic, and every section is properly motivated by an excellent script and constant obstacles.
War films aren’t for everyone, and more often than not—just as in every genre—they’re not very good. The good ones are worth watching, and Too Late the Hero is excellent. Michael Caine fans are in for a treat, since he’s not only dreamy, blond, and in uniform, but also gives a very good performance. And if there’s anyone out there who thinks of Cliff Robertson as Spiderman’s uncle, they should rent this film to see him in his younger days. Watching this movie is an experience. You’ll run through so many emotions that you’ll be depleted by the time Ken Takakura shows up, even with so much more of the film to watch. At that point, it’ll be hard to believe the film can and does get more suspenseful, and finally, when the ending has stripped you of all your energy, you’ll feel utterly exhausted. But then you’ll probably tell your friends to go see it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "john S" for posting!
More Michael Caine movies here!
The film starts with music from Gerald Fried that doesn’t reveal anything about the plot; the audience doesn’t yet know if they’re in for a comedy, drama, or sarcastic commentary. The visual is equally as startling: on an island in the South Pacific, soldiers are literally laying out on the beach working on their tans. A very bronze Cliff Robertson is summoned to his superior, Henry Fonda, and given a new assignment, which he promptly refuses. He clearly has a callous attitude about his part in the war, for he’d rather take his shore leave than accept his transfer to the Philippines. Henry Fonda delivers a very impassioned speech about seeing the bigger picture, and he sends Cliff to the jungle.
Cliff’s apathetic attitude is met with a host of different personalities as he joins his British allies in his new post. Michael Caine is not optimistic that he’ll make it out alive and oftentimes considers deserting, Denholm Elliott is extremely gung-ho about the war effort, Ian Bannen is a loose cannon and could be interpreted as not entirely well, and Percy Herbert isn’t particularly loyal. Their assignment is to enter the Japanese-occupied jungle, destroy the enemy’s radio, and return to the safe area.
It’s an extremely dangerous mission, but when they first set off, as Cliff gets to know his fellow soldiers, the tone still balances the extremely fine line of not taking the war seriously and not making the situation comical. As they venture further into the jungle and start fighting the enemy, the tone of the film grows darker. Every section of the film changes the tone, from careless to ominous to hopeless to realistic, and every section is properly motivated by an excellent script and constant obstacles.
War films aren’t for everyone, and more often than not—just as in every genre—they’re not very good. The good ones are worth watching, and Too Late the Hero is excellent. Michael Caine fans are in for a treat, since he’s not only dreamy, blond, and in uniform, but also gives a very good performance. And if there’s anyone out there who thinks of Cliff Robertson as Spiderman’s uncle, they should rent this film to see him in his younger days. Watching this movie is an experience. You’ll run through so many emotions that you’ll be depleted by the time Ken Takakura shows up, even with so much more of the film to watch. At that point, it’ll be hard to believe the film can and does get more suspenseful, and finally, when the ending has stripped you of all your energy, you’ll feel utterly exhausted. But then you’ll probably tell your friends to go see it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "john S" for posting!
More Michael Caine movies here!