A great, well thought out action/war drama with incredible actors.

Rating: Null/10 (8 February 2004)

Slight spoilers
I thought The Great Escape was an excellent movie, it stars Steve McQueen as Captain Hilts later seen in Bullitt. (1968) It's just as great as Bullitt, and Steve did all but one of his stunt shots. And Richard Attenbourough as Squadron Leader "Big X" Bartlett. (later seen in Jurassic Park (1993)This films starts out with the POW's being moved to the camp, this also introduces the music by Elmer Bernstein. While it's excellent music it gets repetitive when they play it throughout the movie. During the first day a handful of the POW's try to escape early but all are found when a guard pokes around in a truck loaded with pine trees. I found it amusing that they tried to escape during the first 20 minutes. Captain Hilts and some other of his POW cronies begin an escape plan, dig their way out of the camp through tile, concrete, and dirt and recover it with a furnace. Some days later when they have the trench built underground they start moving people out. Captain Hilts gets to the top first and ties a rope from the underground to the forest. This is a blind spot for the Germans so it's perfect if they're careful. Most of the planners get out and run through the forest, but a man slips on the grass when he gets out and makes a loud thud. A German comes over and looks around, they find the tunnel and get everyone out. Less than ten get out so they make it for the Swiss border. A couple steal a German plane, one steals a bike, Hilts steals a motorcycle, and so on. In the end one by one is caught but a few make it out, and what about Hilts? He is pursued by the Germans and gets to the Swiss border, then he hits the top of the hill and what happens? Well you might know but go see it for yourself. This movie is great, I love the action in the small town where Big X keeps on slipping away but is finally caught around a corner catching his breath. Some say this movie is overrated, I think not it deserves great praise. I do agree that the motorcycle jump is overrated, I was like, that's it? Nonetheless, go see it, you'll like it probably, and if you do go see Bullitt also.
9.0/10.0