Original subtitles

[projector whirring]

[dramatic instrumental music]

[birdsong sounding]

[night animal screeching]

[crickets chirping]

[bird calling]

[night birds chattering]

[low, ominous music]

[match striking]

[water animal scurrying]

[creature croaking]

[birdsong calling]

[match striking]

[match striking] [matchbook plonks]

[aligator rumbling]

[dramatic music]

[birdsong ringing]

[crocodile latching] [soldier screaming]

[soldier splashing]

[water bubbling]

[dramatic music]

[plane buzzing]

[dramatic music]

[birdsong reverberating]

[bird calling]

- [Sgt. Turner] What is it?

- Trouble.

- [Sgt. Turner] Are you sure?

I can't hear anything.

[plane buzzing]

- Bloody hell! Get off the path!

- [Harris] Argh!

[suspenseful music]

- [Singh] Look out! It's a Japanese patrol!

[Sgt. Turner hisses]

[feet swishing]

[birds calling]

[zip unzipping]

[urine splashing]

[zip zipping up]

[birdsong sounding]

[steps falling]

- We could've 'ad 'em, Sarge.

There was only two of 'em.

- And the other three hundred

back at the barracks, Harris,

who'd come looking for them

when they didn't turn up from patrol.

You have got to think before you act.

[Harris sighs]

- With all due respect, Sarge, what are we doing?

I mean I know it's hush hush, top secret and all that,

but don't you think we deserve to know what we're doing?

Dropped off into some island without even

having the pleasure of taking on any Japs.

- That's on a need to know basis, Harris.

If any of us are captured, it's gonna be best

that we don't know anything.

The Japanese have a knack for making people talk.

- Did you say three hundred Japanese on the island, sir?

- Give or take, yeah.

- What about him?

What's he doing here?

- If you're referring to Lance Daffadar Singh, Harris,

he's on temporary transfer from the 77th Indian Brigade.

- Weren't there any English lads available?

- It was decided, Harris, given the climate

we're all enduring at the moment,

a man from the Indian Brigade might just survive

a four day trek without succumbing

to some tropical disease of the digestive function.

- Er, now that you mention it, sir...

- Mention what?

- The digestive function, sir.

- Well, you can have five minutes, go on.

Get well away from the path.

And put that camera away, you lose that

this whole trip's for nothing.

- Sir? May I also request five minutes?

- Fine.

- Yeah and I need a piss an' all.

- Fine.

- Thanks, Sarge.

[birds chirping]

- [Sgt. Turner] This is going to be bloody tight.

[foreboding instrumental music]

[footsteps sounding]

[suspenseful marimba music]

- [Pike] What is it, Sarge?

- Japanese fighter.

Been here more than a year by the looks of it.

- Do you think it's one of them kamikaze pilots?

- If he was, he missed his bleeding target, didn't he?

Unless he was aiming for a bleeding hole in the ground!

- Save your film, Pike.

We're not here to take holiday snaps.

- Yes sir.

[birdsong echoing]

[footsteps fading]

[soothing music]

[footsteps falling]

- Sir, may I be so bold as to make a suggestion?

- You may.

- Look, the light is dimming.

When the sun falls behind the tree line,

I predict it will become very dark, very quickly.

I suggest we set up camp as soon as possible.

- I second that, Sarge.

My feet are bleedin' killing me.

- Well alright.

I guess we're far enough off the beaten track

here to take a rest.

You carrying the rations, Singh?

- Yes sir.

- Permission to light a fire, Sarge?

- Weather not warm enough for you, Harris?

- It's not that, Sarge.

I just don't fancy having cold baked beans for tea again.

- Alright.

Keep it under control.

[ominous music]

- Oi!

What are you doing with my pack?

- I believe you're carrying the matches.

To light the fire?

- I'll light the fire.

And don't touch my pack again.

- What's the problem, Harris?

- Well, you can't trust 'em, Sarge, can you?

It's not like he's one of us, is it?

- D'you know, Harris, the men of the 77th Indian Brigade,

they're all volunteer fighters.

Looking at the state of you

I can only assume you were drafted.

- I volunteered.

- When, 1944?

Can't have been out here long,

you'd have been used to the heat by now.

- I've done my bit.

I volunteered for this mission, didn't I?

Whatever the hell we're doing here.

- Watch your mouth, Private!

And keep it down.

We're still in enemy territory in case you'd forgotten.

- Yes, Sarge.

Sorry Sarge.

- Well, is somebody gonna cook these beans?

I'm bloody starving.

- Yes sir!

[dramatic music]

[soothing piano music]

- 'Ere, what kind of gum you got?

- American, " Fruity Mint," or something.

I traded it for a pack of fags with this Yank

when I first came out.

I'm saving it for a special occasion.

- Can I have a bit?

- Fuck off! I've only got one stick left.

And I'm keeping it for when

we're on that boat out of this shit-hole.

- See her? That's my fiancee, Olive.

Nice, ain't she?

- Not now, Pike. My stomach's giving me gyp.

- I took these myself.

My uncle's got a little photography studio down town centre.

He's showing me how to run the business.

- Wonderful.

- And when all of this is over,

I'm gonna be a professional photographer.

You know, weddings, babies, that sort of thing.

And me and Olive, yeah, we're gonna get married.

- Bleedin' hell, Pike.

Do you realize, you've just reduced your chances

of getting out of here alive by about eighty percent

by telling me that?

[Harris sighing]

Have you not seen the picture about the last lot?

- What, the Great War?

- Yeah. The war to end all wars, they said.

- Did you fight in it?

- I'm not that bloody old, am I?

I just saw a lot of pictures about it.

And Pike, let me tell you something.

The lad that waves around a photograph

of his beloved fiancee back home,

[Harris sighs]

he never makes it to the end.

[fire crackling]

- Aren't you lads gonna get some sleep?

Long trek tomorrow to get where we're going.

- Yeah, I thought there might be.

This didn't look like a very big island,

but it's taking us bloody ages to cross it.

- With the greatest of respect to you, Mr Harris.

I don't believe we are crossing the island.

- What?

- Unless I am mistaken, I believe

we are going around the edge.

- What makes you say that?

- Earlier on in the day, when the wind

was blowing in the right direction,

I could detect the sound of the ocean,

even after walking for all these many hours.

- Why the bleedin' hell are we going around the edge?

- The centre of Ramree Island is impassable, sir.

We will definitely fail our mission

if we try to cross it directly.

- How do you know that?

Does he know where we are?

How come he gets to know where we are and I don't?

I'm more senior than him.

- Technically, sir, Lance Daffadar

is a higher rank than Private.

- Shut it! An Englishman out ranks any of you lot.

Tell him, Sarge.

- Keep your voices down.

All of you!

- Apologies for the misunderstanding, sir.

Sgt Turner didn't tell me anything.

I merely calculated our location

with the evidence available,

just like your very own Sherlock Holmes.

- What's he on about?

- Explain yourself, Singh.

- Well sir, first of all,

I knew we weren't too far from Burma.

That is what narrowed it down.

- Narrowed it down?

There are over eight hundred islands in this area, Singh.

- Yes sir. But not as many Japanese bases

with three hundred men, and even less with an air strip.

I examined the wreckage earlier sir.

It's not battle-damaged.

I believe the plane crashed on either take off or landing.

- Very good, Singh.

What about our mission?

You figured that out as well?

- No, no sir.

Except to say...

- Yes?

- Well, the young man and his camera...

- What about me?

- With the greatest of respect, Private Pike,

I don't believe you're here to show your battle skills.

I believe you're here to show your photographic skills.

- Is that it, sir?

Are we just gonna take photographs of the base?

- Not quite.

We have aerial photographs that precisely locate

the position of the base.

What we don't have is the position of their munitions store.

Well the Japanese aren't stupid,

they're not gonna locate the store

near where their lads sleep,

and they're not gonna store it

where we can see it from the air.

But we know it's there, 'cause we've seen

boats coming and going for months bringing the stuff in.

If we can pinpoint the location of the munitions store,

get a good image of it to give to the lads in the RAF,

they stand a good chance of scoring a direct hit on it,

and then, boom!

- Bloody Japs.

They won't know what's hit 'em.

- Right. Which means the follow-up attack by land

stands a very good chance of taking the island back,

with the added benefit of a very nice airstrip.

So, this is why it was supposed to be a tightly-kept secret.

The Japanese get word that we're planning an attack,

they'll be ready for us.

We won't stand a chance.

Now, unless there are any more questions,

what I would suggest is, no, what I would command is,

you get your heads down, get some sleep.

Soon as the sun's up, we're on the move.

- Yes sir. - Yes sir.

- [Sgt. Turner] Harris?

- Just one question, sir.

- What's that?

- Well, if we did encounter some of those Japs,

and they were trying to kill us,

and it was situation like them or us, can we kill 'em?

- Orders are not to engage.

- Fuckin' 'ell.

- What was that?

- Nothing, Sarge.

- I hope it was nothing.

Get some sleep.

[birdsong ringing]

[ominous music]

[flashback whooshes]

[nostalgic music]

[boys chattering]

[machine guns stuttering]

[bombs exploding]

[birds chirping]

[suspenseful music]

- Oi!

[blows landing]

[Japanese soldier grunting]

[Dramatic music]

[punches landing]

[Japanese soldier grunting]

[Harris exerting]

[soldier falling]

[neck snapping]

[footsteps approaching]

[dramatic music]

- Oi, Pike! Get your camera out!

I want to take a picture for me mum.

- What the bloody hell

do you think you're playing at, Harris?

- I had to do it, Sarge.

They were onto us.

- Really? Well they certainly will be now.

Right, back to camp.

Get packed up.

We're moving out now.

- Come on! Just one picture!

[footsteps falling]

I mean, what type of war is this,

if we can't take out a few Japs?

[revolver cocking]

[bow discharges]

[arrow whooshes] [Japanese soldier grunting]

- Where did you learn to do that?

- We have a very similar plant in India, sir.

[birdsong sounding]

- Ow!

- Be careful Mr Harris, sir, it's very sharp.

- Now you tell me!

It strikes me, you could be quite a dangerous man.

- Only in the service of the British Empire, sir.

- If you say so.

- Shall we catch up with the others?

- I'm watching you.

[suspenseful music]

[running footsteps]

- Oh, good of you to grace us with your presence, Harris.

Are you ready to move on?

- Look Sarge, if they'd found us all asleep,

we'd all be dead by now.

- Don't give me that, you went out looking for trouble.

You certainly found it,

you have put this mission into serious jeopardy.

- How d'you reckon that?

- According to the plan we've got a two-day walk

until we get to the Japanese base,

three-day walk back to the pick-up point.

- You may not have noticed but those Japanese soldiers

you took on weren't carrying supplies, so,

less than a day's walk

from some sort of Japanese encampment.

Let's be generous, say eight hours,

sixteen hours before they realize back at base

they're not coming back from patrol,

send troops out looking for them,

find the bodies.

Assuming they've got a field radio,

every soldier on this island is looking for us

24 hours from now.

- Apologies for the interruption, sir,

but the Japanese would have guessed

we are targeting the munitions store.

They will double the guard at least.

- You shut up!

- He's right.

We may evade the search, but we're stuffed

if we don't get near that munitions store.

- Might it be as well to abandon the mission, sir?

- I've considered all the options,

Pike, including that one.

But the pick-up boat's not coming back 'til Tuesday

and we're sitting ducks if we're

waiting around in the meantime.

The only course of action is to change the route.

[map thudding]

Look at the shape of the island,

long, thin, like a cucumber.

That's why it's taking so long to go round the edge.

But if we went straight across,

as the crow flies, we might

just be there in under 24 hours.

- But sir, the terrain?

- Is swampland, yes I know that Mr Singh.

But I thought that was one your strengths,

you were brought up in this kind of climate, weren't you?

- They say the swamplands

of Ramree Island are almost impassable.

- You're not scared of getting your feet wet are you?

- My Olive got pneumonia once,

they said that was from getting her feet wet.

- Well that was in England.

You're not gonna get pneumonia out here,

it's too bloody hot.

- Quiet! This isn't up for discussion

now get moving.

- Shit!

[grenades rolling]

- What's this?

- It's just a few grenades, Sarge.

- And who authorized you to bring them?

- Well, it was on my own initiative, sir.

- Initiative?

I've seen more initiative in a goldfish, Harris.

What were you gonna do with them

on a reconnaissance mission?

One of those goes off,

every Japanese soldier within earshot's after us.

Four of us versus three hundred.

How do you think that's gonna work out?

- I just wanna blow a few of those bastards up.

Isn't that what we're here for?

- You are here to protect the interests

of the British Empire in whatever way

your superior officers see fit.

You may want to go out in a blaze of glory, Harris,

the rest of us would quite like

to get off this island in one piece.

- What shall we do with them, sir?

- I've half a mind to leave them here.

But that'd be like leaving a trail

of breadcrumbs for the Japanese.

No, put them in your pack, Singh.

- Aw Sarge!

Anyone but him!

You can't trust 'em.

Right now, I'd sooner trust him than you.

- But he isn't even English!

- Now get moving.

[birds chirping]

[suspenseful music]

[water birds and frogs chattering]

This is it lads, straight on through.

- Told you we were gonna get out feet wet.

- Well how deep do you think it gets?

'Cause I'm not much of a swimmer.

- [Sgt. Turner] I don't think it'll come over

your head, Pike.

Come on, we've no time to lose.

I don't much fancy wading through this lot in the dark

but I don't think we've got much choice.

- Forgive me, sir, but what is that?

[suspenseful music]

[birds chirping]

- Jesus Christ!

- It's a Japanese soldier.

- I wonder what he was doing out here?

- And what happened to him?

- I read something about the Japanese.

If one of their men disgraces his unit,

they send him out to the countryside with a sword.

And then?

Well and then he kills himself.

Takes his sword and puts it right through his guts.

I don't know how they could do it.

I couldn't do it.

It's called Harry something.

- Harakiri.

- You heard of it, sir? [birds chirping urgently]

- I've seen them do it, Pike.

But if that was the case, what's happened to his sword?

- Never mind that, what happened to his bleedin' legs?

D'you think he chopped 'em off

and they ran away on their own?

[suspenseful music]

- Sir? This could be a worrying development.

What if there's something in the water?

- We move on.

[army boots sloshing]

[crickets chirping]

- Can you really tell where we are on there, Sarge?

- As long as we keep going

in a straight line we'll be on course.

- A straight line!

We could be going around in circles for all we know.

- We're going east, Harris.

All I need is a compass to confirm that.

- Sgt. Turner is correct.

I've been tracking our progress in line with the stars.

- The stars?

How ridiculous, how can you see

the stars through all that fog?

- Well, I could earlier.

[Pike yawns]

- You all right, Pike?

- Just tired, sir.

- Aah, is it past your bedtime?

- That's enough, Harris.

- Sorry, Sarge.

- Actually, Sarge, I've just been thinking

about what Harris said, about all those old war pictures,

and the lads who didn't make it home.

Just got me thinking 'bout Olive, is all,

and, you know, who's going to look after her if I don't...

- Pike, I wouldn't take any notice about what I say.

I'm just a miserable old git who spends

too much time at the pictures, aren't I?

- Yeah, well, I bet you've seen more of the war than I have.

- To be honest, Sarge was right.

I only signed up last year.

Well how come you weren't drafted?

It's a long story.

- Still, you didn't need to sign up

for this mission, did you?

- Well, I thought I was gonna be

blowing something up, didn't I?

- Quiet, Harris!

You don't know how close we might be

to a Japanese encampment.

- Even the Japanese have got more sense than to camp

in the middle of a bloody swamp.

Ain't that right, Pike? [Sgt. Turner whooshes]

[compass splashing]

- Jesus Christ, Harris, look what you made me do!

- What was that?

- The compass, it's in the water, somewhere over there.

Start searching.

[suspenseful music]

- Have we got another one?

- No, not me.

- What happens if we can't find it?

- Sgt. Turner, sir, can I have use of the torch, sir?

I think I saw something here.

- Yes, all right.

[Sgt. Turner yells] [Water splashes]

- What's happened?

- Looks like the Sarge has gone arse over tit in the water.

[Harris laughs]

Sarge?

Sarge?

- Sarge? - Give me that!

Sarge! Sarge! Sarge!

- Please, sir! Quiet!

The enemy could be nearby.

- Never mind that.

It could be right in front of me.

Pike?

- Erm, I was just looking at the water.

- So maybe you took your chance

while no one was looking, huh?

- Really, sir?

I must protest...

- Come on, Harris, he's on our side, surely?

- Is he?

There's a lot them that don't like us, us English.

I've even heard some of you are siding with the Japs.

- Please, Mr Harris sir, I can assure you

I wasn't part of that faction.

My family was hugely benefiting by trading

with the British Empire.

How could I make Sgt. Turner disappear?

- I don't know.

You were looking pretty handy this morning though.

Maybe the Sarge is floating down the river

with a bleedin' tropical leaf stuck in his neck?

- Really, sir? With the utmost respect,

can you stop wasting time,

so I can resume my search for the Sergeant?

- You listen to me.

In the absence of a commanding officer,

I'm the most senior here

and I'm running this shit-show now.

- In that case, sir, shouldn't you

be using this valuable time trying

to figure a way out of this swamp?

- Come on, Harris, he's right.

We should be looking for the compass.

You don't really think he killed Sarge do you?

- From now on, you don't go out of my sight.

You got that?

- Yes sir.

[bird cawing]

- I'm watching you.

Now get looking for that compass.

- Yes sir.

- Yes sir.

[water sloshing]

- May I point out a small inaccuracy you made

in an earlier statement, Mr Harris?

[Pike sloshing water]

[suspenseful music]

As you know, my rank is of Lance Dafadar.

You and Mr Pike are Privates.

So as far as your claim goes,

as being the senior man,

I'm really sorry to say,

that is specifically incorrect, sir.

[water splashing]

- Don't push your bleedin' luck, Singh.

I've just about had enough of...

Jesus Christ!

- What is it?

- Something just went past my leg!

[Pike yells]

- Pike! What is it?

- I, er, found the compass.

[monkey chattering]

- You gave me a bleedin' heart attack.

[water bubbling] [dramatic music]

- Look, there!

- [Harris] What?

- There's something in the water!

- [Harris] Where?

[water bubbling]

- Don't shoot!

The Japanese!

- I couldn't care less about the Japanese at this point!

I'm more concerned about what just went past my leg.

- I suggest we move very quickly!

- Pike, which way is east?

- Uh,

[water creature growling]

It's that way!

- Wait! What is that?

- It's the Sarge!

- Somebody get him up.

[ominous music] [water sloshing]

[Pike grunting]

[all screaming]

[water splashing]

- Fuck me!

- Don't shoot, sir!

The Japanese!

- Fuck the Japanese!

- It's not going to work.

The pistol!

- What are you on about?

- They have very thick hides!

- What do?

- Crocodiles.

- Let's get out of here!

[ominous music]

[night animals chattering]

[haunting music]

[all grunting]

- Well, we made it. [grunts]

[birds and crickets singing]

I never thought we were gonna see the end

of that bleedin' swamp.

[Pike sighs]

Permission to have a rest sir?

- Why are you asking me?

- I believe you volunteered

to take over the mission last night, sir.

- Hah! Yeah, that's a laugh, innit?

[water splashing]

- Are you suggesting we give up?

- I'm suggesting

you tell me

everything you know about crocodiles.

[haunting music]

- Not very much, sir.

But we do have them in India.

The same type.

The saltwater crocodile. [ominous music]

[water splashing] [haunting music]

- That ain't salt water.

- No, sir.

It's,

It's just the name of the breed.

- Well, how do you know?

We haven't even seen one.

- It's the kind of breed that lives in these swamplands.

It is the same back home.

- What are you?

A crocodile expert now?

- No, not at all, sir.

But, I did see one attack a man once.

- What happened?

- I was very, very young.

[nostalgic music]

Me and a few friends decided to go on an expedition

out of the city.

We were reading up about your very own Dr. Livingstone.

So we imagined we will be exploring

the farthest reaches of Africa.

Just three young boys and a pani-wallah.

- What's that?

- It's a man who carried the water for us.

- What, like a servant?

- Yes.

He was sent from home by my father.

- Christ, I never knew you lot had servants.

I thought you were the servants.

- He was from a very low caste and I feel ashamed

because we treated him very poorly.

He begged us not to go into the swamp water

because he knew we would ruin our shoes

and he would get the blame.

But we didn't listen to him because we didn't respect him.

[melancholic music]

One of us found some sticks

so we decided to go fishing by the water's edge.

And then it appeared out of nowhere!

[dramatic music]

A huge, monstrous scaly head come out of the water.

This poor man put himself between us and the crocodile.

It was so fast like it was with the Sergeant.

- You knew all this and you let us go wandering

into a crocodile-infested swamp without telling us anything?

- No, I tried to warn the Sergeant,

but he was most insistent.

- Well, you didn't do a very good job, did you?

- I was thinking about the mission.

- All right.

We've still got a mission to accomplish

for what it's bleedin' worth.

We've still got the compass,

we've still got the camera

and we've still got the grenades.

So just maybe, maybe we can make something worthwhile

out of this shit-show yet.

[dramatic music]

Let's get a couple of hour's kip

[Harris sighs]

and then we'll head east.

See what we can find.

[leaves rustling] [birds calling]

- Who is that in the picture?

- Don't tell him, Pike!

- My fiancee, Olive.

[Harris sighs] - That's it, mate.

You've got no chance now.

[dramatic music]

[ominous music]

[leaves rustling]

[suspenseful music]

[leaves crunching]

- I knew it!

[suspenseful music]

[leaves crunching]

[suspenseful music]

[water creature growling]

[leaves rustling]

[bird calling]

[flashback whooshes]

[ethereal music]

[camera flash bangs]

[ethereal music]

[camera flash bangs]

[soft haunting music]

[camera flash bangs]

[ethereal music]

[suspenseful music]

[compass lid snaps]

[urgent footsteps]

- Oi!

[suspenseful music]

- Mr Harris!

- Don't you "Mr Harris" me!

- I'm really sorry, sir.

I thought you was an enemy.

- I bet you did!

[dramatic music]

- Really, sir, there's no need for the pistol.

- I'll be the judge of that, Singh.

What are you up to?

- Up to?

- I saw you nick that compass out of Pike's bag

and you know without that we're all screwed.

So what are you up to?

[suspenseful music]

[water splashing] [crocodile growling]

- Please, Mr Harris, sir.

I insist you lower the gun.

- You insist, or what?

- I may be forced to take unfortunate measures.

- Oh yeah?

I'd like to see that.

[ominous music]

[crocodile growling] [leaves rustling]

[Harris yelps]

[Harris grunts]

[dramatic music] [crocodile growls]

[Pike gasps]

[Pike screams] - Pike!

[Pike screaming]

[frenzied orchestral music]

[Pike screaming]

[ominous music]

[Pike yelling desperately]

[water splashing]

- He's gone.

- Crocodiles.

[suspenseful music]

[photo rustles]

[footsteps falling]

[Harris sighs] - I told him.

I bleedin' told him!

He was just a kid.

[Harris sighs]

He shouldn't have been out here in the first place.

[sighs] Stupid kid.

[sighs]

- Who's gonna tell her, hey?

[Harris breathes rapidly]

Who's gonna turn up with a cap in their hand.

And a "Sorry Mrs. Harris, he died too young,

"but he was serving his country."

- "Mrs Harris"?

- What?

- Don't you mean Mrs. Pike?

[dramatic music]

[Harris sighs]

[melancholic music]

[Harris breathes deeply] I had a little brother,

Will.

He was about the same age as Pike.

First in line at the town hall to join up, he was.

I had special dispensation,

'cause someone had to stay at home and look after my mum.

Will couldn't wait.

He thought he was going to Germany to fight Hitler.

[Harris scoffs]

But he was never any bleedin' good at geography.

He ended up in Singapore.

Stupid sod.

He didn't know Singapore from Streatham High Street.

He just thought it was gonna be this big adventure.

Even sent us a letter home.

Saying there was nothing to do.

Him and the boys were just lying around in their bunks

trying to avoid the sun.

[nostalgic music]

And then we heard

the Japanese had attacked.

[dramatic music]

We never had any more letters after that.

[nostalgic music]

[birdsong ringing]

Months went by,

and then there was a knock on the door.

Some Sergeant Major or other.

We knew it was bad because he had his cap in his hand.

And with him was this tiny scrap of a bloke.

All skin and bone.

Well anyway, this bloke introduced himself.

[Harris sighing]

Turns out he was fighting alongside our Will.

When they got captured by the Japs,

they ended up in some prisoner of war camp in Thailand.

You should've heard the things

they did to my little brother. [inhales sharply]

I wish my mum hadn't have been in the same room

and heard all that.

[mellow instrumental music]

This bloke, he made it out alive, barely.

And Will didn't.

The next day

I packed my mum off to live with her sister

then I signed up.

And now, here we are.

We've still got a mission to finish.

And you know what?

We're gonna finish this mission.

For Pike.

For the Sarge.

And I don't care what you're up to.

We're gonna find that ammo dump

and we're gonna blow the fucker up.

If we made it out of that crocodile-infested swamp,

we can do anything.

[eerie music]

- Um,

actually

the reason I took the compass and went out walking earlier,

was so I could try to ascertain our position

and plan our route eastward.

- And?

- To the east there's just more swamp.

- How about north?

- More swamp.

- South?

- Swamp.

- Are you telling me-

- I'm sorry to say we're not out of the swamp.

We're on an island in the middle of the swamp.

[dramatic music]

[haunting music] [birds calling]

[crocodile growling]

I didn't know about your brother.

But now I can understand why you hate them so much.

The Japanese.

[crocodile growling]

But I was wondering, what if that body we saw earlier,

of that Japanese man, he had a brother in Japan?

Or a mother waiting for her son to come back home?

- Yeah, well they started it, didn't they?

I mean, look, Singapore and Hong Kong.

It's British territory.

We had the right to be there and they didn't.

- It wasn't always British territory, sir.

- Well, we invaded it first.

Look!

What's that?

- It's Pike's backpack!

- No it's not.

There's a map sticking out the top.

It's Sarge's.

- If only we could get that map-

- We'd have a bleedin' chance to get out of here.

[dramatic music]

What do you think?

- What do I think of what?

- Getting the backpack?

- Let's not be too hasty.

- Come on, it's not that far out.

- Perhaps, with you being the senior officer,

it will be a privilege for you to carry out

such a heroic act?

- Don't give me that.

I thought you were the senior officer?

- It's very complicated, yaar.

There's too many ranks.

- Look, I've got an idea.

Let's go fishing.

[dramatic music]

[branch crackling] [leaves crunching]

[birds calling] [crickets chirping]

Good thing you got those extra bootlaces in your pack.

- Do you think it will hold?

- Why not?

You haven't got to lift the pack up.

Just hook it, pull it in.

[ominous music]

- Who's going to hold it?

- Well,

you've been fishing in a swamp before.

[dramatic music]

- How excellent of you to remember!

[leaves crunching underfoot]

[suspenseful music]

[Singh grunts]

- It's not long enough!

- Ah, just go in a bit!

- It still won't be long enough!

- It will be if you go far enough.

Don't worry about it.

I'll keep an eye out for the crocodiles.

- Are you sure?

- Just get on with it.

You'll be in and out in two minutes.

[twigs crunching]

[water sloshing]

[dramatic music]

[water sloshing]

- I think I can get it!

[water sloshing]

[dramatic music]

[water crashing]

[crocodile growling] [birds calling]

Harris!

It's looking at me!

What should I do? [crocodile growls]

- Well, I thought you knew about these things!

- I'm struggling to remember

the finer details at this moment!

- How good can they see?

Maybe you should stay still.

[ominous music]

- I'm leaning more towards running away!

- Christ! - What?

- There's another one!

[crocodile growls]

Do they hunt in packs?

- I don't know!

[crocodile rumbling]

- They're coming!

Get out!

[Singh shrieks]

[Singh panting]

You could've kept hold of the pole!

- I'm really sorry, sir.

I didn't think it was a priority at the time.

- I mean, they've gone.

Want to try again?

[Singh whimpers]

Oh, come on, look, just down there, in and out.

I'll keep an eye this time, I promise.

- No, no, it's not that.

Every time we go into the water we attract their attention.

And then we come running back to the land for safety.

What if they grow bold enough and decide to follow us?

- [Harris] Can they do that?

- They're not like fish, you know, sir.

They have legs!

- Well without that map, we don't know which way to go

to get off this bleedin' island.

- I understand, sir.

It's a conundrum indeed.

[birds singing]

- It's been a few hours.

I haven't seen a single crocodile.

It's like we imagined the whole thing.

[exasperated sigh]

I swear there were loads of 'em.

And now there's not one.

Maybe they've swam off somewhere else?

Like birds, when they all fly off at once.

- Are you suggesting crocodiles migrate?

- I don't mean they've gone south for the winter.

Maybe they've just gone for a swim.

[leaves rustling]

[stone plonks in water]

[ominous music]

- [Singh] Look!

[suspenseful music]

[water sloshing]

- Fucking bastard crocodiles!

Look at that!

They've been waiting there the whole time.

- They can hold their breath for several hours.

- Are you the expert again?

- No, it was just an observation.

And I also observe every time the water splashes

it attracts their attention, just as I feared.

- Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

- What are you thinking?

- I'm thinking

if something was splashing the water over there,

that might attract their attention long enough

for someone else to go and get the backpack.

- It seems like a risky plan at both ends.

- You got any better ideas?

[stones clattering]

- I believe it's your turn

to go into the water, Mr Harris, sir?

- Yeah, whatever.

Tell you what.

Let's drop all this, "Mr Harris," and "Sir," bollocks.

My name's Jack.

- Very good, Jack.

Pleased to make your acquaintance.

My name is Harinariyan-Shera-Punjab-Singh-

Lal-Killa-Chandni-Chowk-Delhi-Va la.

- Oh, forget it.

- "Harry," for short.

- Yeah, all right.

That's enough time-wasting.

You best get chucking some rocks in there,

see if it's gonna work.

- Yes Jack!

[stones clattering]

[leaves crunching underfoot]

[dramatic music]

[water splashing]

[water splashing]

[crocodile growling]

Look there!

It's working.

- Chuck another one!

- I suggest you don't shout.

They may be able to hear you.

[suspenseful music]

[water splashing]

- There's three over here.

This may be your best chance.

- Yeah, in a minute.

[water splashing]

- Right.

[water splashing]

[water sloshing]

[water splashing]

[water sloshing]

[crocodile growling]

[dramatic orchestral music]

[water sloshing]

- Hey! Crocodiles, over here!

- He's gone bleedin' mad.

[crocodile growling]

[music crescendos]

- [Harris] I've got it!

- Oh, thank God for that!

[leaves crunching]

I can't see where the bloody crocodiles are anyway.

[crocodiles splashing in water]

[Singh screams]

- Harry!

[Singh screams]

[crocodile splashing]

- You, you saved my life, Jack.

- Oh, shut it!

It's just a scratch.

[Harris panting]

- It would have dragged me in just like Pike.

[Harris gasping]

- Come on, we've gotta keep moving.

That sun's going down and I'd rather

spend the night away from that water.

- I don't think I can get up, Jack.

- Yes you can!

It's not that far.

And when we get there I'll light a fire

and that'll keep them away.

[crocodile growling]

- Or bring them nearer.

[Singh whimpers]

[Harris panting]

[crocodile rumbling]

[fire crackling]

[night creatures chattering]

[crickets chirping]

[Singh grunts]

- How's the leg?

- Not better, not worse.

- That's good.

Be alright in the morning when you've had a bit of kip.

[Singh grunts]

- Tell me something, Jack.

There's something I don't understand.

- What?

- It really surprised me.

Your reaction to what happened to,

to young Pike.

I can understand your explanation,

but I never imaged your saw him like a brother

because you never had a kind word to say to him.

- Kind word?

- What I mean is, you would always make jokes about him,

or have a laugh at his expense.

- Oh, that.

Listen, Harry, you wouldn't understand.

It's a British thing.

It's what we do.

- A British thing?

It's called, "Taking the piss."

Having a laugh.

A bit of banter.

That's all.

- Banter?

- It's how you know who your mates are.

When you can have a bit of banter.

It's like a show of affection I suppose.

- Oh, I see.

Now I understand why you used to shout at me

and accuse me of doing certain things.

Because you felt I was like a brother to you!

- No!

I, um...

[Harris sighs] Yeah, that was it.

I should've known you wouldn't understand.

- It's okay, I get it now.

You bloody stupid English idiot!

- Oi! Watch it!

There are ways of doing it.

[Singh grunts]

[dramatic music]

[birds calling]

- Fuck me!

- What is it?

- Look at this!

[Singh yawns]

That's the route we were meant to take!

The Sarge marked on there where we turned east

into the swamp.

That is the route we were meant to take.

And if you follow a straight line east

there's a tiny little island

and that's where we are.

And if you go further east

there's that bleedin' Japanese base.

It's less than half a mile away from here.

We're nearly there.

If they've got any lights we'll be able to see it from here.

- Which way's east?

- I don't know.

- Can't you tell from the stars, or something?

- My eyes are a little blurry.

- Oh forget it.

Where's the compass?

- Uh, it was here in the morning.

- So what happened to it?

- It was in my hand!

- [Harris] When?

- When we were fighting.

- Are you bleedin' kidding me?

After what we went through to get that map?

We were that close!

[birds calling]

- I'm really sorry to say,

I'm not going to be able to make it that far anyway.

Not through the water

with this leg.

[leaves crunching underfoot]

- Listen, Harry, I tell you what.

You wait here and tomorrow I'll go back to where we first

came out of that water.

[Harris sighs]

I'll make a straight line east

and I'll find that base.

And then I'll find the munitions dump

[Harris sighs]

and I'll blow the fucker up

with a couple of them grenades.

- And then what?

[Harris sighs] And then while I'm gone

you find some sticks, build a raft.

- This nice, big raft.

And then we can float out of the swamp to the getaway boat.

And then we'll be back in Singapore for supper.

How's that sound?

- I really appreciate your optimism, Jack.

But you have to be realistic.

The description of these events is very unlikely.

- We gotta try and do something!

Otherwise this has all been a waste of time.

The Sarge, Pike, all for what?

And I'll tell you one thing,

I'm not quitting.

Not now.

We've come too fucking far.

[ominous music]

[crocodile growling]

- I was in this situation once before.

- Five Rupees?

What's this? Indian money?

- No, look at it.

"Japanese Government".

When the Japanese invaded Burma,

they imposed their own currency.

I was fighting out there.

I found this and decided to keep it as a souvenir.

- That's the bleedin' Japanese for you, innit?

[Harris sniggers]

It's their way of showing you who's boss.

"We're running the bleedin' country now, mate".

- You're probably right.

- Bloody Japs.

- But it was the same in 1835

when the British imposed the Indian Coinage Act.

They said that all the Indian currency

will have to bear the face of the King of England.

- Well that was different.

We weren't at war then.

Anyway, India was a bloody mess

before we came in and sorted it out.

- Perhaps that it what Mr Hitler thought of Poland?

- You what?

- Please don't misunderstand me, Jack.

As you know, my family business benefited hugely

by trading with the British Empire.

It was my father who encouraged me

to join the Volunteer Army.

He said we owed the British a huge debt.

- What were you doing in Burma?

- They called it, "Operation Longcloth."

- You were on Operation Longcloth?

- You've heard of it?

- Of course.

It was all in the papers.

Major General Wingate going on about what a success it was.

- Huh! It was terrible.

We were amongst the first in.

"Long-range penetration," they called it.

We were ordered to cross the Irrawaddy River,

deep into Burma.

Our column was the first to cross it

and then we decided to sit and wait for the others.

But then the orders changed.

Wingate was ordered to withdraw.

We were left stranded on the wrong side of the river

with limited supplies and the Japanese hunting us down.

We were deep into enemy territory,

just like you and I are now.

- Then what happened?

- We had to abandon all our equipment.

And once the supplies ran out,

we were instructed to eat our horses.

I refused.

Eventually, I used that horse to cross the river.

I made it, but a lot of them didn't.

I believe we lost a thousand men over all.

- Christ, they didn't print that in the papers.

[birds calling]

- You keep it.

- It's your souvenir.

- I believe you have a slightly better chance than me

of making it off this island.

- I've got something in here for you.

Try that.

- What is that?

- American gum.

You ever tried it before?

- I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure.

- There you go.

- Are you sure, Jack?

- Of course.

- Thank you very much.

- Mm, very unusual flavor.

- Did you just swallow it?

- Yes, very, very tasty.

- You're not meant to swallow it!

I wanted that back!

I could've made that last a week!

- What's that? [dramatic music]

[Harris panting] - There's something out there!

- A Japanese patrol!

[crocodile growling softly]

- I doubt it.

One thing I'll say about the Japanese,

is they ain't stupid.

And they're not gonna go marching

into a swamp full of bloody crocodiles.

Not like we did.

[dramatic music]

- What if they did?

- You what?

- I never finished telling you about Operation Longcloth.

- Well you'd better hurry up.

I think we've got company.

- It was a horrible failure, but there was one positive.

The Japanese sent out three whole divisions to hunt us down.

That left them very short of men,

so when they attempted to invade India

they miserably failed.

- Shit! There's one of them!

I think we're in trouble, mate.

- Are you listening to me, Jack?

- Yeah, we beat 'em out of India.

- What are you getting at?

- Well, sometimes you can fail and still make a difference.

Oh Christ, there's another one!

- Listen to me, Jack!

We agreed if the Japanese hear a gun

they will send a patrol to investigate.

But what if they hear a few of these go off?

They will think they're under attack

and they might just send out a whole division!

- Into a swamp full of crocodiles?

That'd be a bleedin' massacre.

- Right!

[victorious instrumental music]

- If I have to go down, I'm going down fighting.

And if I can take out a whole division of Japs with me,

that's even better.

Give me the bag.

- [Singh] Look out!

[gunshots ringing]

- There's another one!

[gunshots ringing]

I knew it!

I knew they'd come.

- They've got a taste for us now, ain't they?

I wonder if they like Japanese meat

like they like the English?

- They seem to like a bit of Indian all right.

Look out, it's coming back!

- Well it ain't gonna come back

when he gets a taste of this.

[Harris grunts]

You hear that you bloody Japs?

There's more where that came from.

Come and get us if you've got the guts.

[crocodile growling] - Look out!

- Jack!

[frantic instrumental music]

[pistol fires]

- Get off me you bloody ugly bastard!

[gunshots ringing]

- Jack! Throw me the bag!

The strap!

I've got you!

- Let go you idiot!

Or else it'll take you as well!

- Shut up!

I've got you!

[crocodile roaring]

Jack, I've got you!

[Jack screams]

Jack!

[frenzied instrumental music]

[crocodile feeding]

[crocodile rumbling]

[crocodile roaring]

Oh bloody hell!

Jack Harris, you bloody stupid English idiot.

This one is for you, my brother.

[crocodile rumbles]

[pin pulled]

[crocodile roars]

[grenade explodes]

[haunting music] [fire crackling]

[dramatic music]

[mournful vocalizing]