Rent Too Late the Hero (1970)

Great War Film, A Forgotten Gem - Too Late the Hero review by GI

Made on the back of the success of The Dirty Dozen (1967) director Robert Aldrich toned down his darker edges for this really good yet underrated war film. Set in the Pacific in 1942 and US Navy Lieutenant Sam Lawson (Cliff Robertson) is seconded to a British unit because his ability to speak Japanese is needed for a special mission. He's a reluctant participant in what is a patrol through the jungle to a Japanese radio station. The patrol is led by incompetent Captain Hornsby (Denholm Elliott) and includes a motley bunch of soldiers including Tosh (Michael Caine). The mission goes awry and the patrol is pursued back to their base by the enemy who must kill or capture them to stop the location of their new airbase being revealed. There's a clash of cultures theme here, mainly between the British and the Americans and the film looks into the issues of loyalty and futility of war. It's a gritty story with plenty of action but ultimately it's a well written and performed character piece. The actors are mostly British stalwarts including Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser and Harry Andrews and in addition Henry Fonda has a cameo. What is especially interesting here is the subversion of stereotypes as each of the characters is tested through their exposure to combat. The jungle scenes are particularly realistic and exciting so this is definitely a Second World War film that deserves to be rediscovered. I highly recommend it.