Solid film in the vein of (but preceding) the Great Escape

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2008)

Among the countless WWII films, there are a relative few that focus on what transpired in prison camps. The most famous of course is The Great Escape, which is well deserving of its recognition. This subject matter makes for a very watchable film, as Stalag 17 is.
The plot focuses around a "stoolie" within one of the bunkhouses. The captives in this house are constantly having their secrets discovered and their plans stymied, with sometimes serious consequences. Obviously there must be a traitor among them, but who is it? This problem creates a certain tension throughout most of the film and keeps the film quite viewable throughout. This movie does an excellent job of progressively revealing more and more about the true nature of what is happening (to the point where you know exactly what is going on), while at the same time sustaining the tension.
The film also provides much comic relief, some of which is genuinely funny, and some of which fell flat (in my opinion) and distracted from the actual plot. Particularly distracting was the over the top performance of Robert Strauss as "Animal" who was just too goofy for my tastes. In several scenes the film almost gains a "screwball" feeling, which didn't fit the content of this movie.
However, in spite of that the film is very well worth watching for its underlying plot and the interaction between many others of the cast. Good war film which deals with an unusual subject.