Is definitely a great adventure, hands down.

Rating: 10/10 (6 August 2001)

Inspired by a true story and based on Paul Brickhill's novel, John Sturges' "The Great Escape" is a great adventure, hands down. The tale begins as a mass of Allied P.O.W.s (hauled in trucks) arrive at a new camp that's run by the Germans and is solely described as "escape-proof". It doesn't take long for one prisoner, Virgil Hilts (the late Steve McQueen), who earns the nickname "The Cooler King" for his failed escape attempts. Hilts isn't the only prisoner who wants out, a few others hatch a plan to get 250 men out in one night. How its executed is a stroke of pure genius and skill. The movie has a vast variety of characters who are allowed to show their feelings, which is a nice touch. There two characters who make solid examples and I cared for the most. One is Colin Blythe (the late Donald Pleasence), a gentle Brit who specializes in forging names and goes blind. The other one in Danny Willinski (Charles Bronson), a Russian who excells in digging tunnels and tends to get rattled. The performances here are just perfect and the musical score by Elmer Bernstein is one of the best ones that I've heard. This movie would serve as a great history lesson for any student (middle or high).