Too Late the Hero (1970)

★ 6.4 2h 25m IMDb

A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

Too Late the Hero

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Cast

Michael Caine
Michael Caine as Pvt. Tosh Hearne Age 93 · Rotherhithe, London, England, UK Sir Michael Caine CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr.; 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinctive South London accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career...
Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson as Lt. Sam Lawson Died 2011 · Los Angeles, California, USA Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned half a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in...
Ian Bannen
Ian Bannen as Pvt. Jock Thornton Died 1999 · Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK Ian Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish character actor and occasional leading man..
Harry Andrews
Harry Andrews as Col. Thompson Died 1989 · Tonbridge, Kent, England, UK ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Harry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE (10 November 1911 – 6 March 1989) was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His pe...
Denholm Elliott
Denholm Elliott as Captain Hornsby Died 1992 · Ealing, London, England, UK Denholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor of stage and screen, with over 120 major film and TV credits. In the 1980s, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a...
Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser as Private Campbell Died 1997 · Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, UK Ronald Gordon Fraser (11 April 1930 – 13 March 1997) was a British character actor, who appeared in numerous British plays, films and television shows from the 1950s to the 1990s. Fraser was a familia...

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 6/10 Mar 15, 2019
***WW2 jungle warfare***

In 1942 the Brits have a base at the southern tip of a Jap-held island in the Philippines; a unit is sent on a mission with an American Lieutenant (Cliff Robertson) to take down the radio at the northern end of the isle. Michael Caine plays a troublesome private while Denholm Elliott is on hand as the leader of the patrol.

In tone and story, “Too Late the Hero” (1970) is similar to “Ambush Bay” (1966); other comparable flicks include “The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) and “Beach Red” (1967). Of course “Kwai” is superior, but “Too Late” ain’t no slouch.

I had a bad attitude during the first half because of some unrealistic scenes. I’m no veteran of jungle warfare, but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be blithely singing songs or loudly talking while traversing jungle trails in enemy territory, especially when it has already been established that Japs could be anywhere. Also, if you’re going to take a nap, wouldn’t it be hidden in the forest undergrowth rather than in a wide open meadow near a trail? Also, am I the only one to find the Jap loudspeaker unit a little unlikely?

If you can get past these kinds of eye-rolling flaws, “Too Late the Hero” becomes a gripping and suspenseful Pacific War movie with quality characterizations about a small group of reluctant heroes sweating it out in the jungle and fighting amongst themselves. Even the Jap commander is interesting and unpredictable. The ending is memorable, even iconic; and you don’t know who survives until the final moments.

The film runs 2 hours, 13 minutes and was shot in Malay, Aklan, Philippines.

GRADE: B
CinemaSerf 7/10 Jun 03, 2023
Cliff Robertson is "Lawson", an American soldier drafted in to lead a squad of war-weary British soldiers on a jungle mission to destroy a Japanese radio transmitter. It isn't that his men are in any way cowardly, but with Michael Caine's "Tosh" foremost amongst them, they are disillusioned at the relentlessness of it all. What do they do that ever makes a difference? The film comes alive as the troop must try to evade their pursuing enemy - and all of their dastardly mantraps and psychological warfare - to return to safety of their outpost. The acting from the two leading men, along with some gritty and plausible contributions from stalwarts Ian Bannen and Ronald Fraser amongst others; some angry but focussed dialogue and the claustrophobic nature of their surroundings all lend well to this solidly paced and characterful war story that shows just what can be achieved when a team pull together - in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

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