Good but overlong

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2018)

"The Great Escape" is one of those classics that I can never remember a time when I didn't know about, or couldn't hum its indelible, cheerful score. For some reason I never watched it, perhaps due to reservations about watching older movies of this length.
I was right on one count: the movie is, alas, quite a bit overlong. And surprising. You don't go into a movie as famous and as old as this one expecting surprises.
The surprises come at the ending. It's not just the title that made me expect the movie would focus entirely on the escape. It's also the fact that those scenes are so engaging - if perhaps a little padded. Of particular note are the parts with Charles Bronson - dodgy Polish accent notwithstanding - and Donald Pleasence both working to escape.
But when the action moves outside of the prison, the movie seriously outstays its welcome, and I was not expecting the downbeat ending - even if it does use that cheerful, unforgettable, hummable score.