The Great Escape

This one happens to be among the very few war movies I actually ended up liking. Based on true events, this film deals with the escape attempts of a large group of POWs from a German camp. These POWs were actually grouped together in that particular high security location as they had to their credit the most number of previous successful escape attempts (Of course, they were eventually caught later but the fact is that they managed to get out of their confinement). The rest of the movie is about how all these guys gang up together against all odds and plan the perfect “great escape”. Whether they escape and what eventually happens to them form the climactic portions.

This movie was very famous especially for its lead actor Steve McQueen’s motorbike chase sequence – more so because he did them without the use of a stuntman. In fact, that’s what made me quite curious to check this out. The film’s runtime is almost three hours but it is justified because even the most intricate details of the escape are detailed very well without boring the audience. Also, there is a huge cast which means that enough screen time has to be given to everyone without spending too much time on any single actor – this is also one factor which doesn’t make you feel the length.

Among the cast Steve McQueen is clearly the crowd favorite and he gets the coolest part. There are good performances from other major cast members like James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn etc. The production values are really good and diretor John Sturges (The Magnificient Seven) manages to come up with an engaging World War II drama which would appeal to everyone.