The story has become legendary: a group of American/British/European POWs in World War Two mount a daring escape from an "unescapable" prison. 67 escape. Only 3 make it. The actors have become titans in American cinematic history: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson. When combined with the talents of director John Sturges, they created one of the great action/adventure films that has stood the test of time. Despite its nearly three hour run-time, The Great Escape moves so swiftly and expertly that we barely notice the passing of time, much like that other great 3-hour action/adventure epic, The Seven Samurai. Everything is streamlined for maximum efficiency in this film. Nary a shot is wasted. The major characters all have nicknames that designate their mechanical purpose in the escape: "The Tunnel King," "The Forger," "The Manufacturer." There is little character development that is not intrinsically tied to their role in the escape. Of course, only the first half can be considered historically accurate. Once Steve McQueen starts to ride his motorcycle over the German countryside, we can rightfully assume that creative and artistic license has been fully taken. But the film is an engrossing, entertaining ride that is a relic of an era long past: when action/adventure films focused more on plot and characters than action and gore and you didn't have to censor or remove anything when you aired it on television.
8/10
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