Out you escapees go, through the door or out the window...

Rating: 10/10 (1 June 2008)

"The Great Escape" works for two reasons; these are two elements that have been argued time and time again, only to come up for air once in a blue moon. This film works, and nearly demands repeat viewings, because director John Sturges has complete and utter confidence in his actors, and secondly, it works because the script is kept so simple that the final act seems to come from nowhere. It is the classic bait-and-switch routine pulled off with such grace and delicacy, that I nearly missed it myself. Sturges makes this feature work because of his cast, his star-studded cast that is bigger than belief, yet so grounded, one would think that this was everyone's first feature. Amazingly, in one film, one can witness the emotion of Charles Bronson, the loyalty of James Garner, the leadership of Richard Attenborough, the fear of Donald Pleasence, the cunning of James Coburn, and finally the patriotism of Steve McQueen. Let me say this again, in ONE film, you can see all of this  and so much more. Not only do you see these great qualities come out with full force, but each actor works with each other to build a comradery, to make this film work  there is no stress for screen time, they all are eager to make cinematic magic  and it shows. One could speak for hours about this cast; it is half of what makes this film work. It is the cast that keeps you glued to your screen. It is the cast that makes you want to view the next minute of the film. It is the cast that holds this film together  but there is another big part  the script.
"The Great Escape" works on the next level because Sturges realizes the simplicity of the script, and he does not let that, well, escape. This film easily could have been a convoluted story about escapees trying to elude Nazis, perhaps a love story mixed in, and that cliché element of a inside man. All of these elements could have been mixed in, but Sturges knew that he had strong enough actors that the audience would have no issues following them till the end. The story is kept simple, because it is the endurance of these men that was meant to shine, not the eruption of cliché events on screen. This 1962 film hit it square on the head, modern cinema cannot seem to grasp the idea that less will create more  and Sturges saw that with "The Great Escape". Even with a nearly three hour film, it kept my attention throughout because of these two very simple ideas. Strong cast  simple story.
There is nothing negative about this film that I could see. The idea that the Nazis were just there as roadblocks for our escapees was intriguing because typically they are more involved. Thinking of the modern film "Hart's War", which Ferrell and Willis work together to escape a similar situation, we have so many stories of race, trust, and fear working against the story that it turns into a huge blockbuster of a film filled with cliché over cliché, merely to turn a profit. While there are big names broadcasting in this film, it doesn't work like "The Great Escape" because the tones are too dark, the themes seem misleading, and our actors fight, literally fight, for screen time that it all becomes muddled and incohesive. In Sturges film, the light shone during the day, our actors never were hurt, and being thrown in solitary seemed like a fly in the pan. Sturges sense of brevity should not be dismissed, while there was a lacking sense of realism throughout this film, it was forgettable. This is rare for me while watching films, because as this was a non-fiction story, there is a level of realism needed to fully submerge into the film  but Sturges does something spectacular  he gives us such great characters, deeply involved within this simple story, that the apathetic Nazis seemed genuine. "The Great Escape" is a flawless film. There are others that could dissect this film bit by bit, but for me, it was nearly three hours of pure entertainment.
Overall, I was quite impressed with this big-budget film with big-named stars and the biggest escape known to man. As we move into the summer of blockbuster films, where stars all vie for the top weekend spot, hurdling over others and expectations falling short, this old 1960s film (if re-released today) could rival those like "Hancock", "Indiana Jones" and even "Dark Knight". "The Great Escape" proved that if you have a strong cast, develop a simple story  allowing your characters to create their own moments, and just have fun with the material handed to, than you will have on your hands an instant classic. Modern films over the years continue to borrow or re-imagine scenes from this film, and that is the highest form of flattery, but it is also a sign that Hollywood has found moments that work, and will do anything in their power to recreate. Aside from the Hollywood recycling bin argument, "The Great Escape" has an amazing ensemble cast which could rival that of "Oceans 11", and the nearly three hours breeze by with the greatest of ease. Again, it is a flawless film. It was a surprise for this first time viewer, and I cannot wait to introduce this feature to others who may have allowed it to fall through the cracks. Sturges has created Hollywood perfection. Watch this movie.
Grade: ***** out of *****