THE RAIDERS OF LEYTE GULF is YET another black and white WW2 flick shot in the Philippines in the early 1960s by exploitation director Eddie Romero. Most of the films in this sub-genre are undistinguished and difficult to enjoy, but RAIDERS is bad even by Romero's standards, a singularly uninspiring and exceedingly dull attempt at a war story.
The basic storyline sees an American soldier captured and tortured by the Japanese while a crack squad of troops are sent to rescue him. What this all leads to is a series of running battles which soon merge into one another. Said battles are directed matter-of-factly by Romero and, while they're occasionally impressive thanks to the number of extras and explosions, the director's lack of creativity saps them of excitement.
The film lacks the presence of a big-name American star and even the Filipino regulars are disappointing without the presence of more established faces (Vic Diaz, Fernando Poe Jr.). Characterisation is nil and while there are attempts to humanise at least one of the Japanese soldiers it all leads to nothing, Romero sacrificing depth in favour of yet more indistinguishable gun battles.
The basic storyline sees an American soldier captured and tortured by the Japanese while a crack squad of troops are sent to rescue him. What this all leads to is a series of running battles which soon merge into one another. Said battles are directed matter-of-factly by Romero and, while they're occasionally impressive thanks to the number of extras and explosions, the director's lack of creativity saps them of excitement.
The film lacks the presence of a big-name American star and even the Filipino regulars are disappointing without the presence of more established faces (Vic Diaz, Fernando Poe Jr.). Characterisation is nil and while there are attempts to humanise at least one of the Japanese soldiers it all leads to nothing, Romero sacrificing depth in favour of yet more indistinguishable gun battles.
