TOO LATE THE HERO Movie Review

Suicide Run

1970 Robert Aldrich

Robert Aldrich's attempt to recapture the success of The Dirty Dozen is emblematic of the state of the war film in the late 1960s and early '70s. It begins as a standard jungle action picture along the lines of Objective, Burma!, but then changes course midway through to reflect the anti-war sentiments of the Vietnam era. Neither extreme is really convincing, despite some fine Philippine locations and a solid cast.

In the spring of 1942 in the Southwest Pacific, Lt. Lawson (Cliff Robertson) is doing everything he can to avoid his duties when Capt. Nolan (Henry Fonda, in a brief cameo) volunteers him for a secret mission. Lawson, who can speak Japanese, is to fly to the New Hebrides, where he will accompany a British commando unit into the enemy-controlled portion of the island and broadcast a fake radio message. It all has to do with a convoy carrying American troops, but that side of the plot is so muddled that it's never particularly believable, nor particularly important to the rest of the action. Aldrich and writers Lukas Heller and Robert Sherman might have dreamed up this loopy concoction to take advantage of existing sets and locations, which, by the way, are strikingly photographed by Joseph F. Biroc.

The mission begins in fairly standard fashion, until the leader, Capt. Hornsby (Denholm Elliott) proves to be something of a bumbler, a cold-blooded bumbler who shoots the wounded, but a bumbler nonetheless. Pvt. Hearne (Michael Caine) immediately erupts into open rebellion, but by then the group is several miles behind the lines. When Lawson chimes in to support Hearne, Hornsby says, “For all I know, you could be some long-haired conscientious objector.” Soon after that anachronistic remark, some camouflage paint appears in a flowerpower psychedelic pattern, and the film makes its leftward turn.

In the second half, the handsome and compassionate Maj. Yamaguchi (Ken Takakura), speaking to the commandos via loudspeaker, tries to persuade them to surrender for the good of all concerned. At the same time, the surviving British and American characters debate their various responsibilities to the mission and to each other, creating a slow, talky pace. The filmmakers make it far too clear that they mean to advance the idea that there's no difference between the sides. The backstabbing Americans are even more bloodthirsty and treacherous than the Japanese.

No one can doubt that American war movies have portrayed the Japanese in derogatory, racist terms. But this attempt to balance the ledger is every bit as distorted and false, and it's handled so clumsily that it's not about to change anyone's mind. More importantly for audiences, the characters don't inspire enough sympathy to offset the structural weaknesses. Similar criticisms concerning improbable plotting and stereotyped villains could be leveled at The Dirty Dozen, but the pace moves so quickly and the performances are so good that nobody cares. An able cast cannot work the same magic twice.

Cast: Michael Caine (Pvt. Tosh Hearne), Cliff Robertson (Lt. Lawson), Henry Fonda (Capt. John G. Nolan), Ian Bannen (Pvt. Thornton), Harry Andrews (Col. Thompson), Denholm Elliott (Capt. Hornsby), William Beckley (Pvt. Currie), Ronald Fraser (Campbell), Percy Herbert (Sgt. Johnstone), Patrick Jordan (Sergeant Major), Harvey Jason (Signalman Scott), Sam Kydd (Sergeant Major), Ken Takakura (Maj. Yamaguchi); Written by: Robert Aldrich, Lukas Heller, Robert B. Sherman; Cinematography by: Joseph Biroc; Music by: Gerald Fried. Producer: Robert Aldrich, Cinerama Releasing. MPAA Rating: PG. Running Time: 133 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta.