Aptly Titled

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2001)

The Germans open their new POW camp and send the invites to every British and American escape artist out there. So while waiting for their garden to reap a harvest, they all decide to tunnel out of the place. The tunnel is discovered, but they still have two other ones they're working on so they continue on, even though there are the problems of the forger losing his sight, and one of the tunnel diggers being claustrophobic. They dig out but find themselves 30 feet short of the forest they were going to escape into and the Germans pick up their trail. 3 POW's make it out, 23 are captured and returned to the camp and the remaining 50 are executed. Based on a true story ( with some factual errors, and influenced by Jean Renoir's 1937 film, Grand Illusion ), this film moves very quickly with an adventureous pace and well acted roles, particularly Steve McQueen as the American motorcycling hotshot, Richard Attenbourough as the escape team head, and James Garner as the scrounger. Rating 10 out of 10.