A rousing WWII-era action drama

Rating: 8/10 (18 March 2009)

John Sturges's "The Great Escape" is one of the classic films based around World War II. It is based on the true story of a group of Allied POWs and their attempt to escape a German POW camp designed to hold the most notorious escape artists.
The story is an entertaining one and stays surprisingly close to the truth. The characters are composites, the timeline is compressed and there are a few concessions to American audiences but for the most part the story is untouched. The film's nearly three-hour running time doesn't drag at all, either.
The cast is a strong one with many recognizable faces. Steve McQueen may be the star but there's strong support from Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasance and several others. A couple of McQueen's "Magnificent Seven" cohorts join him as well, namely Charles Bronson & James Coburn.
Sturges's direction is workmanlike but not particularly worth remarking on. Elmer Bernstein's score, on the other hand, contains one of the most iconic movie themes of all time. Overall, the production shows considerable polish and attention to detail.
In the end, the film is an eminently satisfying old-fashioned blockbuster. By the way, if you saw "The Magnificent Seven" and liked it, be advised that this film reunites the director, three of the stars and the composer, resulting in similarly fine results.