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John Sturges is a director that seems to be forgotten in the annals of history. But every single director who's picked up a mega-phone to make an action film owes him an enormous debt of thanks. For his work in showing how to combine action and the characters is practically unsurpassable. You thought he had great cast in 'The Magnificent Seven'? Well look at this puppy.

There's Steve McQueen as 'Cooler King' Virgil Hilts, James Garner as 'Scrounger' Hendley, Richard Attenborough as 'Big X' Bartlett, James Coburn as 'Manufacturer' Sedgewick, Charles Bronson as 'Tunnel King' Danny Velinski and Donald Pleaseance as 'Forger' Blythe. Even the lesser known faces achieved a certain degree of stardom. David MaCallum, Gordon Jackson, Nigel Stock etc. This was the absolute cream of Hollywood cool combined with British reserve. And amazingly it works perfectly.

The above are all crammed into the same POW camp in Germany under the watchful eye of Von Luger (Hannes Messemer) who just wants time to pass as uneventfully as possible. (For the 60's this was an astonishingly brave and humane portrayal of a German. He wants to get along with the Allies and is extremely reluctant to give the 'Heil Hitler' salute).

However Allied leader Ramsey (James Donald) and Bartlett have other plans. By digging three seperate tunnels they plan to release 250 prisoners over Germany and get them back to the Allied forces. This brings everyone together even if Hilts is planning his own escape with his Scottish friend Ives (Angus Lennie).

For a film about 2 and a half hours long it's perhaps unsurprising that the action doesn't really kick in until the last hour. Previous to that the attention is devoted to the meticulous planning of the escape and filling in the characters of the prisoners. And it's completely enthralling. Whether it's marvelling at the ingenius planning of the escape under the constant threat of discovery or the nicely played character strokes, there's never a dull moment. Sturges keeps the film ticking along nicely by drip feeding in incident after incident, while building up to the main breakout.

It's a film that has one of those 'name-your-favourite-bit' myths, as set-piece after set-piece rolls out. Whether it be Ives desperate lunge at the wire fence after the first tunnel is discovered to the dispersal of the dirt they're digging up, or to Hendley's very funny blackmailing of camp guard Werner to the irony of Blythe going blind, it constantly throws up moments that make you go "Shit, yeah!". It has more highlights in it's first hour and a half than a a summerful of Bruckheimer blockbusters.

The lengthy running time also gives plenty of space to characters and make no mistake, McQueen is the Daddy here. From his very strut as he riles Von Luger into giving him 20 days solitary to his nonchalant way of banging his baseball off his cell wall to pass the time, he's the essence of stubborn resistance.

Garner runs him a close second as the charming, light fingered scrounger who forms a touching friendship with the hopelessly out of place Blythe. His defiant defence of his blindness to make sure he goes into the escape tunnel is a special moment.

Coburn and Bronson are also excellent (Bronson's last minute claustrophobia another one of those classic bits that everyone remembers), but it's a shame that the British actors get the more cliched roles. They're very much a public schoolboy set who stand around smoking pipes and tending gardens, while the Americans brew up illegal licqour and play baseball. It's a cliche that was prevalent in every war film up until then, and it's a shame it doesn't try to play against these stereotypes. It re-inforces the Boys Own feel to the piece, but ultimately it doesn't detract from it.

The Brits give fine displays also, although Attenborough is given a lot of hard work to do. His Bartlett is undoubtedly intelligent and brave, but also unlikeable and arrogant. Attenborough is also given some of the worst dialogue. Standing around surrounded by guards, he declares that he's never been happier. So being under constant threat of death and being imprisoned is his ideal form of happiness is it? As Dr.Evil would say, "Rigggght...". Makes you wonder what his childhood was like.

Despite this niggling flaw however, the rest of the cast fill out the roles excellently giving a heart and sadness to the piece when some inevitably bite the bullet.

So if the first hour and a half is merely excellent, then the remaining is what undoubtedly raises it into classic status, and also reiterates the cost of war. Sturges unleashes action upon action as the prisoners make their break (although typically as the Americans escape by stealing motorbikes and planes, how do the British escape? They catch a train).

This of course all leads up to the bit that everyone remembers: Steve McQueens legendary motorbike jump as he makes his last desperate bid for freedom into Switzerland. Admittedly with CGI and legions of stunt teams, it may not seem so impressive now but with the story and the character behind it, it still rates as one my greatest ever movie moments. But for all this excitement and showboating, it's largely to unavail as the tragic end looms into view. It's a brave move to end what has been a terrifically entertaining yarn with a sobering end, but this is based on a true story and this is what happened. This is what happens in war.

'The Great Escape' is one of those movies that you've probably seen a hundred times, but can't stop watching every time it's on to watch all your favourite bits roll out again. And each time you foolishly hope against hope that everyone is going to make it out this time. They won't, but that magical last scene and the superb theme tune from Elmer Bernstein, is testament to their defiance and courage. And that's what 'The Great Escape' is all about.

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originally posted: 07/30/02 00:15:14
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