Synopsis

In January 1945, as Allied forces advance through the Philippines, the U.S. Sixth Ranger Battalion is ordered to rescue more than 500 American prisoners held at the Cabanatuan camp. Facing Japanese forces, difficult terrain, and the prisoners' deteriorating condition, the Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters plan a dangerous operation deep behind enemy lines.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film dramatizes the 1945 Raid at Cabanatuan, one of the largest prisoner-of-war rescues in U.S. military history.

• Its screenplay draws on William B. Breuer's *The Great Raid on Cabanatuan* and Hampton Sides' book *Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission*.

• Principal photography took place in Australia from July 4 through November 6, 2002. Shanghai was used for sequences representing Manila.

• The production was completed well before its eventual theatrical release. The film's release date was postponed several times before Miramax opened it in the United States on August 12, 2005.

• Retired Marine Corps captain Dale Dye served as military adviser and put the performers through a boot-camp-style training program in northern Queensland.

• Joseph Fiennes lost approximately 20 pounds during a strict diet and exercise regimen for his POW role.

• Filipino performer Richard Joson played a character connected to his own grandfather, adding a personal link to the historical material.

• Before its public release, the U.S. Embassy in Manila arranged limited screenings in February 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Cabanatuan raid.

• Made for an estimated $60 million, the film earned roughly $10.8 million worldwide and became a notable box-office disappointment.