Himself (archive footage) (as Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
Mark Wickham
SSGT Wickham
Byron J. Brochmann
Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Devin Corey
Private Corey (uncredited)
Edelyn Okano
Voiceover (uncredited)
Hideki Tojo
Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Koichi Waki
Machine gunner (uncredited)
Matthew Wollaston
Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Did you know?
Trivia
Although he was not among the real-life officers portrayed in the movie, Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons was a young Army Ranger Captain who took part in the raid on Cabanatuan and was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the raid. During the height of the Vietnam War, Colonel Simons led the famous raid on Son Tay in an attempt to rescue POWs.
The role of Cesar Montano (as Captain Juan Pajota) was originally offered to Zoren Legaspi who passed the first screening. But Legaspi turned down the project due to his commitment to GMA-7 for a TV soap opera, and that he could not leave his family for a month's shoot in Australia.
This film's opening prologue states: "Inspired by true events." This film's closing epilogue states: "On January 30, 1945, after nearly three years in captivity, 511 POWs were rescued from the Cabanatuan Prison Camp. During the raid, two Army rangers were killed. The Filipino Guerillas suffered 21 casualties. One POW died after being liberated from the camp. Lt. Colonel Henry Mucci was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for valor. Captain Robert Prince was awarded the same honor. President Truman [See: Harry S. Truman] awarded Margaret Utinsky the Medal of Freedom for outstanding heroism and fortitude. The raid on Cabanatuan remains the most successful rescue mission in U.S. military history."
The beach where the Americans landed is written as "Calasio". There is no place in the Philippines with that name. The correct place is "Calasiao" (in the Province of Pangasinan). Also, the front line where the prisoners were brought safely to is not "Talevera". Again, there is no place in the Philippines with that name. The correct name of the place is "Talavera".
Colonel Mucci states "The plane will buzz the camp at 1800, Lt. Reilly will fire the first shot at 1930 and Capt Pajota will blow the bridge at 1945..." The Filipino setting the explosives under the bridge at 1800, when the plane flies over, sets the timer for 2 hours.
In the opening documentary, the voice-over speaks of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At that moment the viewer doesn't see Japanese airplanes attacking (what should have been), but American 'Dauntless' dive bombers. Nothing but a handful of American planes flew during the attack and certainly no squad of dive bombers.
What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Unrated Director's Cut?
A
The Unrated Director's Cut, which was released on DVD, features a slightly shorter version than the original Theatrical Cut. Several plot sequences from the Theatrical Version were left out but on the other hand the Director's Cut does feature exclusive scenes as well that can't be found in the Theatrical Version. The latter is approx. two minutes longer than the Director's Cut. A detailed comparison between both versions with pictures can be found here.
Q
Did They also make the Movie in Manila?
A
No - it was filmed mostly in Australia, with the city scenes being filmed in Shanghai, China