The essential POW drama!

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2008)

This exciting POW drama has to be one of Wilder's best films. Like nearly all his work, it is extremely well-written, cynical and very witty. It also surprises how much (dark) humour Wilder managed to pull out this situation.
William Holden (winner of the Best Actor Oscar, an interesting and worthy choice by the Academy) stars as Sefton, a Sergeant in a POW camp in Germany in WW2, who may or not be selling out his fellow soldiers in order to get a better deal from the Nazi's. Another thing that really impressed me was how Wilder sustained the suspense of the plot (Who is the traitor?) for so long. Wilder encourages us, nay, implores us through his silently roving camera and objectivity, to question everyone. And we do, from Sefton to "Animal" to Joey.
This should be regarded as one of Wilder's best films. It's exceptional film-making. Wilder's films remain so fresh today because of his near-perfect scripts that have possess honesty instead of sentimentality, and his willingness to let his characters and story impress instead of burdening the film with showy technique. He also took on a range of different story lines. Bravo, Billy Wilder!