The Great Raid (2005)

Image credit: The Great Raid: Pierre Vinet

BRATT (FAR RIGHT) AND CO.

When John Dahl (Rounders) began his WWII saga in 2002, it was just a period piece. Flash forward three years. ''We finished and suddenly the troops are going off to Iraq,'' says the director. ''It's not simply this historical movie.'' Based on a true story, The Great Raid follows Col. Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) and his band of brothers from the 6th Ranger Battalion as they liberate more than 500 soldiers (including Shakespeare in Love's Joseph Fiennes) marked for death in a Philippine POW camp. ''The actors did the whole boot camp experience in character,'' says Dahl. ''I checked in and Ben's bossing around these 'privates' like [he was] in the army. I was useless.''