POWerful escapism

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 2013)

Little did I realise when seeing this classic film on its first broadcast on UK BBC1 on 28th December 1971 that it would be re-shown on UK TV regularly (including tonight), indeed almost incessantly for the next 4 decades and that one day I'd feel I'd know it off by heart. But that's now the case, proving familiarity doesn't always breed contempt. It's one film I don't need to record as it's either always available somewhere and well inside my head anyway.
Dozens of problem Allied prisoners are collected together by the Nazis in a Super POW camp, all their rotten eggs in one basket. Richard Attenborough playing the Big Head, sorry, Big X is determined to worry and confound the enemy by organising the escape of 250 POW's and causing a second front to be opened up within Germany looking for them all. Based on a true story the biggest niggle is only slight: the deliberate inclusion of a couple of dynamic American POW's in the film – but thankfully they were because the film would not have been seen by so many people if not. But, ultimately I'm not a POW camp expert any more than I can spot characters wearing the wrong socks or riding the wrong motorbikes – this is just wonderful entertainment. Steve McQueen plays a wild card USAAF Captain, a fabulous character from whom he could never subsequently Escape. The first half sets the scenes and characters, and organises everything with humour, the second half is gripping adventure to a memorable end/s.
It's long but an awful lot happens to justify the length - personally I could cope with a six hour directors cut at the same pace! The film isn't faultless but every corny bit or stereotype is completely forgivable and essential to fully appreciating it. All in all, probably the best POW film ever made, maybe even one of the best films ever made.