Thursday Movie Picks: Escape

A weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves

Hello guys and happy new year! What a better way to kick off 2020 than joining Wandering Through the Shelves's wonderful weekly series, Thursday Movie Picks? As you've probably seen from the title, for this first week of the year we are asked to talk about movies involving some sort of escape. Without further ado, I leave you with my picks.

PS I didn't enjoy all of them but I wanted to do a theme within a theme. 

The Great Escape (1963) - Review

Plot: During World War II, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps, the Nazis relocate the Allied prisoners in an escape-proof camp. Unfortunately for them, they put together the best escape minds in one location and the prisoners will soon start planning one of the most ambitious escapes of WWII.

A film I kept putting off for years, The Great Escape has the perfect blend of action, drama, comedy and adventure. The story, both the slow-paced planning and the escape, is engaging from start to finish. Also, it has an incredible atmosphere, an epic score and great performances. 

Papillon (1973) - Review

Plot: Wrongly convicted of murdering a pimp, Henri Charrière (Steve McQueen) is sentenced to life and imprisoned in the penal colony in French Guyana. As he forms a friendship with a fellow prisoner, forger Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), he attempts to escape many times, despite solitary confinement being the punishment. 

Since Charrière's autobiography Papillon slowly grew on me, I was hoping this first adaptation would do the same. Unfortunately, it was a letdown. I'm not sure how the director managed to do it, but the fascinating and compelling adventures of Papillon weren't interesting at all here. Too many details from the book were left out which would make the film rather confusing for someone who hasn't read the book. However, both McQueen and Hoffman give strong performances, although their lack of chemistry is a buzz killer as they fail to convey a sense of loyalty and friendship. 

The Towering Inferno (1974) - Review

Plot: A massive fire breaks out during the opening of The Glass Tower, the world's tallest skyscraper, and a determined fire chief (Steve McQueen) and an honourable architect (Paul Newman) team up to fight the fire from the outside and the inside.

Although some of the writing is a bit lacklustre, especially the characters as they lack development, the story is throughout interesting as it focuses on the attempts to escape as well as on the individual dramas of the characters. It's not perfect but it's a fun film with a great pace and likeable leads.