On T List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Too Late the Hero (1970)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
1/25
1/25:
Too Late the Hero is an impressive war picture with heavy British flavor.
Parts of it reminds me of The Steel Helmet,
The Dirty Dozen, and Ulzana's Raid.
Of course, the last two was directed by Robert Aldrich. The ending is dramatic; I thought it would be Lawson
surviving it after all, but nope...what a shocker.
The biggest trouble is it's rough around the edges. Some of the script doesn't make sense (maybe it's the
Cockney language) which is to say I'll have to see the film again later. I don't understand how the soldiers
can still keep going without food or drink. There are a lot of military blunders as well like sleeping out
in the open and making too much noise.
Instead, I've focused on the psychological aspect of warfare that's often heightened by Ken Takakura on the
loudspeaker. That's been the strongest feature all the way through. How the men made their individual decisions is
what makes the film compelling whether they're selfish, weak, stupid, reluctant, or cynical. Ronald Fraser has
done the best job of showing his feelings while the winner is Michael Caine who steals every scene with a
bunch of witty lines.
Here's an amusing piece of trivia: Cliff Robertson was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in
Charly, but Robert
Aldrich refused to let him leave the Philippines for the ceremony due to possible cost overruns. While
stuck there, they announced his name as the winner, and the crew presented him with a wooden statuette.
After the filming completed, the cast flew back to Los Angeles, and upon landing, Gregory Peck was on
hand with the real statuette. When Cliff Robertson saw it, he threw the wooden one over his
shoulder which hit Michael Caine squarely in the forehead, causing it to bleed profusely.
All in all, unfairly criticized back in the day, Too Late the Hero has enough to stand out as a worthwhile
jungle war picture.