I'm sure you'll dig it.

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2018)

Continuing my quest to re-watch every film I saw during my Christmas holidays as a youth, I now arrive at The Great Escape, a staple of festive scheduling on UK television for many years. From the rousing Elmer Bernstein score, which blares out over the opening titles, to the emotional ending, this is the perfect film to digest a turkey dinner over, a 172 minute star-studded true story of incredible heroism guaranteed to stir the blood (unless you're German) and thoroughly deserving of the adjective 'Great'.
A testament to the indomitable spirit of man, the film tells of how the inmates of a German WWII Prisoner of War camp planned and executed a daring escape, digging three tunnels, which they dubbed Tom, Dick and Harry. After months of careful planning, this bold bid for freedom resulted in over seventy prisoners successfully fleeing the camp. Only a handful ultimately made it to freedom, but the sheer ingenuity and bravery involved was staggering (despite seeming far-fetched, the events that occur on-screen are apparently accurate). Superb direction from John Sturges and a brilliant cast ensure that the viewer genuinely cares for the colourful characters, which only goes to make their post-escape exploits all the more nail-biting.
Highly recommended, even if, like me, you're not a big war film fan.