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Cast: Jeff Fahey, Mark Dacascos, Noriyuki Morita, Yuji Okumoto, Jason Scott Lee, Tamlyn Tomita, Guy Ecker, Emily Liu, Ken Narasaki, Lane Nishikawa, Greg Watanabe
This is the tale of the all-volunteer 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, a platoon of second-generation Japanese-American soldiers that would become among the most decorated units in World War II. Facing terrible odds and the distrust of their adopted homeland these brave men were instrumental in the rescue of the famous Texas "Lost Battalion," a fight that would cost more than 800 men their lives.
I always enjoy a good war flick and when I read that Jason Scott Lee, Mark Dacascos and Pat Morita were among the cast members I was even more excited. One thing we all look for in a war film is the combat scenes and they were very well done here and really helps you feel just what these soldiers were going through, their pain and their fear. Also I felt the flashbacks into the personal lives of each of these men did a great job at filling out the characters and in turn it helps you connect and feel for each of them. Many of you out there may never of even known about the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, and had no idea that the mission to save the Texan unit even took place but after seeing this you will find it to be a powerful and moving story of bravery. This tribute to an unbelievable group of soldiers leaves you thinking about your own life and just how easy you have it while others just like these brave men the story is about are fighting for us all right now. It does hit home and leaves you feeling very different about a lot of things when it is over. By watching this it is hard to believe that it is a low budget, Independent film. The wonderful cast and amazing detail to uniform, weapons and everything else about the time period makes this film play and look much bigger than it is. The story shows these men as brave soldiers but it also shows them as humans with wives and children waiting at home for them which sends a message that war should be the last option as losing one life is too many. Made in 2006 it seems Only The Brave never had a chance to reach a wide audience but now that it is on DVD I hope everyone picks it up and I for one am grateful to all those involved in making the film and preserving an important piece of history that no one should miss. A rare and powerful eye-opener that I highly recommend owning
Released by Indican Pictures
***** Out Of *****