Tunneling at it's Finest

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2005)

Who hasn't been caught whistling the theme song from The Great Escape? I know I have. It's one of the many great qualities to the movie. Along with the catchy song, there is a gripping plot, a great cast, and everything put together makes for one memorable movie.
Our story starts as new POW's, American and British, enter a new Nazi POW camp. The new "campers" include Roger Bartlett (Sir Richard Attenborough) or the "Big X", Bob Hendley (James Garner) "The Scrounger", and of course Virgil Hilts (Steve McQueen) "The Cooler". Along with others like Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and Donald Pleasance, a group of about 250 men are determined to escape this Nazi hell hole.
An intricate system of signals and distractions keep the goons off of their backs. The plan is to tunnel out of the camp into the nearby wooded area. From their they will disguise themselves are German citizens and make their way back to their respective countries. This will require clothing, paperwork, acting, and other supplies needed to blend in and look normal to a German Officer outside of the camp.
This true story of how soldier's tried to outsmart the German's is one that is fascinating and amusing. The little things like hiding supplies, the tunnels, and the immense amount of dirt is incredible and quite ingenious. Imagine trying to tunnel deep enough underground so no one knows what you're doing and keeping it undercover. Not to mention sneaking 250 people out at once. It's quite a challenge.
This war drama is one of the best of it's era and genre of all time. What sets this movie apart from the rest is a riveting story added with some Hollywood magic to bring it back to life. Although some parts of the movie are stretched from the truth, it still tells a true story in an entertaining fashion.
Director John Sturges does the story of the "Great Escape" a lot of justice, showing it to a wide variety of people. The Great Escape is timeless!