Too Late the Hero (film)

Too Late the Hero
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Aldrich
Produced by Robert Aldrich
Walter Blake
Written by Robert Aldrich
Lukas Heller
Robert Sherman
Starring Michael Caine
Cliff Robertson
Henry Fonda
Ken Takakura
Denholm Elliott
Ian Bannen
Lance Percival
Ronald Fraser
Harry Andrews
Percy Herbert
Music by Gerald Fried
Cinematography Joseph F. Biroc
Edited by Michael Luciano
Production
company
Distributed by Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Release date
  • May 20, 1970 (1970-05-20)
Running time
 144 minutes
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Budget $6,250,000[1][2]
Box office $1,590,000 (rentals)[1]

Too Late the Hero is a 1970 Anglo-American war film directed by Robert Aldrich, and starring Michael Caine, Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Ken Takakura, Denholm Elliott, Ian Bannen, Lance Percival, Ronald Fraser, Harry Andrews and Percy Herbert.

Plot

In the 1942 Pacific War theater of World War II, Lieutenant Sam Lawson, USN, is a Japanese language interpreter who — so far — has avoided combat. His commanding officer, Captain John G. Nolan, unexpectedly cancels his leave and informs Lawson that he is to be assigned to a British infantry commando unit in the New Hebrides Islands for a combat mission.

The British base is in the middle of a large open field, several hundred yards from the edge of the jungle; on the other side of the jungle is a Japanese observation and communications post. Shortly after Lawson's arrival at the base, a patrol of British soldiers sprint out of the jungle and across the open field, pursued by the Japanese. The base commander, Col. Thompson, instructs his men to keep well back, out of enemy range; they watch as the patrol are cut down by Japanese rifle fire.

Lawson's commando group is instructed to destroy the Japanese radio transmitter to prevent them from sounding the alarm about an American naval convoy which is scheduled to appear on the horizon in three days. The post's radio operator transmits an "all's well" signal every night at midnight; it will be Lawson's job to transmit a fake signal (in Japanese) to buy the Allies another 24 hours.

The commando group is led by Captain Hornsby, an upper class officer with a history of foolhardiness. The other members of the squad are draftees from Singapore whose enthusiasm for fighting leaves something to be desired: Pvt. Tosh Hearne, a cynical Cockney who is also the squad's medic; Pvt. Jock Thornton, a lean Scot whom Lawson at first considers slightly cracked for skipping on patrol and singing the "Teddy Bears' Picnic", Pvt. Campbell, a fat Glaswegian; grey-haired Sergeant Johnstone; Signalman Scott the radio operator; Pvt. Griffiths, Pvt. Rogers, Pvt. Currie, Pvt. Connolly, Cpl. McLean, and Pvt. Riddle.

By the time the squad reaches the Japanese post, Riddle, Connolly, and Currie are dead from a botched ambush — which, Hearne mutters to Lawson, was entirely due to Hornsby's incompetence: they were positioned on both sides of the trail, and the dead men seem to have been the victims of friendly fire. When Johnstone is wounded in another encounter, Hornsby leaves him behind; shortly thereafter, Johnstone is discovered by the Japanese and his throat slit.

After Scott drops and breaks the radio Lawson was to use, Hornsby decides to use the Japanese radio. Lawson flatly refuses to take part in any such scheme, giving the excuse that Hornsby is disobeying their orders with this extemporization. Nevertheless, Hornsby walks boldly into the Japanese camp and enters the radio hut without being spotted; he knocks out the radio operator and motions to Lawson and Scott. Scott goes to the hut, but despite Hearne's urgings, Lawson refuses to go. The Japanese radio operator comes to, and in the ensuing fracas, both Scott and Hornsby are killed.

Lawson is now the ranking officer, with only Hearne, Campbell, Jock, Griffiths, and McLean left alive — and Jock has been wounded in the debacle. Japanese Major Yamaguchi (Takakura) is determined to stop them from reporting the existence of the secret Japanese airfield and planes they have discovered. Through loudspeakers in the trees, Yamaguchi exhorts the men to give themselves up. Lawson and Hearne agree that Yamaguchi is not to be trusted, but Campbell is favour of surrender, and he works at Griffiths as Jock weakens. Finally, while Lawson and Hearne are asleep, Campbell tries to sneak off into the jungle; but Jock spots him and asks where he's going. Campbell strangles Jock, wakes Griffiths and McLean, and the three of them run off.

Yamaguchi attempts to use the lives of Griffiths and McLean as bargaining chips. (Campbell, on the other hand, is killed in gruesome fashion after the Japanese discover he has a ring severed from the finger of one of the officers the patrol ambushed.) As Lawson and Hearne reach the edge of the open field adjacent to the British base, Yamaguchi announces that they have three minutes to surrender; Japanese soldiers have the field covered with rifles and machine guns. Hearne suggests that they give Yamaguchi a taste of his own medicine. They double back and shoot him. They then sprint out across the field. Despite cover fire from the base, first one, then the other is hit.

One of them rises and staggers to safety. It is Hearne. When Colonel Thompson asks who the other man was, Hearne replies, "A hero. He killed fifteen Japs single-handed — thirty, if you like."

Cast

Production

In actuality, the Japanese never were in the New Hebrides in World War II; the American forces arrived in May 1942.[3] The bulk of the film was made on Boracay Island in the Philippines[4] by the same crew and using many of the same sets as Jack Starrett's The Losers.[5] The opening and closing segments were filmed outside the Subic Bay Naval Base using sailors and American civilians as extras.

Robert Aldrich recalled that the production company ABC Films, wanted another version of his The Dirty Dozen and that Too Late the Hero, a property that could use some of the same elements, had been languishing in studio drawers for over a decade.[6] The idea of the film came from an unpublished novel called Don't Die Mad by Robert Sherman who had worked on several films with Aldrich.[7]

The attitudes depicted in the World War II film--made during the Vietnam War era--reflected the 1960s, with one character talking about "long haired conscientious objectors". The poster advertising the film showed a fallen soldier dressed in a 1960s American uniform and holding an M16 rifle.

Aldrich was requested to film two separate endings for the American and British audiences, one with Robertson surviving.[8]

ABC Pictures first release was Charly, for which Cliff Robertson won the Academy Award for Best Actor. However Aldrich would not let Robertson leave the Philippine set to attend the ceremony. Aldrich said he wanted "anyone but Cliff Robertson" for the lead role but he was overruled by the studio.[6]

Reception

Critical response

Critical response was moderate. This includes praise for decent acting in a tense thriller, though feelings are inconclusive about the overall impact and significance. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67%, based on 12 retrospectively collected reviews with an average rating of 6/10.[9]

Box office

The film earned rentals of $615,000 in North America and $975,000 in other countries (it had admissions of 294,232 in France).[10]

However, after all costs were deducted, the film made an overall loss of $6,765,000, making it one of the biggest money losers in the history of ABC Films.[1]

Home release

Too Late the Hero was released to DVD by MGM Home Video on May 25, 2004 as a Region 1 widescreen DVD.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "ABC's". Variety. Penske Business Media. 31 May 1973. p. 3.
  2. ↑ Silver, Alain; Ursini, James (1995). Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?: His Life and His Films. New York: Limelight. p. 279. ISBN 9780879101855.
  3. ↑ "Colonial History Of Vanatu : World War II". Vanatu Tourism Office. Archived from the original on 27 September 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  4. ↑ Hemley, Robin (2006). Invented Eden: The Elusive Disputed History of the Tasaday. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. p. 101. ISBN 9780803273634.
  5. ↑ McCarthy, Todd; Flynn, Charles (1975). Kings of the B's: Working Within the Hollywood System. Boston: E.P. Dutton. p. 139. ISBN 9780525140900.
  6. 1 2 Arnold, Edward T.; Miller, Eugene L. (2004). Robert Aldrich: Interviews. Conversations with Filmmakers. Oxford: University Press of Mississippi. p. 68, 74. ISBN 9781578066032.
  7. ↑ "Robert Sherman". IMDb. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Field, Matthew (2004). Michael Caine: 'You're a Big Man': The Performances that Made the Icon. London: Batsford. p. 142. ISBN 9780713488760.
  9. ↑ "Too Late the Hero (1970)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  10. ↑ Soyer, Renaud (14 July 2013). "Robert Aldrich Box Office". Box Office Story (in French). Retrieved 17 July 2018.
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