Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

DonAlberto Le Trou (The hole)by french director Jacques Becquer is a masterpiece like few others. Becquer is one of those guys who has the ability to tell you a story and make you feel part of it. That alone is far from being considered a "spark of genius" but it undoubtedly helps pave the way for a film such as Le Trou, a classic of the genre.It's the story of a group of inmates which are planning the escape of the prison. One day, a new one arrives and quickly is drawn into the plan. From that point on, this slow-paced film shows us the life in prison, quite different from what you'd expect after binging on American TV shows for years, and the psychological dimension of the life in prison. Every single detail of their plan is paid attention to. Rightly so because with every step forward they get closer and closer to the world outside the barred windows while, at the same time, keeps us interested in the film as it seems there's always something going on.Towards the end of the movie there's a couple of scenes that after so much build up make the plot "explode" but I won't be spoiling them here. I highly recommend you watch the film. You won't regret it.

disinterested_spectator Asked to categorize this movie, most people would say it is a prison movie, which it is. And as with most such movies, there is an attempt to break out of that prison. But to me, it is primarily an engineering movie.Most engineering movies involve building something, such as the title bridge in "Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957). Another example would be "Land of the Pharaohs" (1955), in which a pyramid is constructed in such a way that no one can break in and steal all the loot the pharaoh is planning on taking with him to the afterlife. In both those movies, however, engineering only plays a minor role compared to all the other goings-on. One such movie in which engineering plays a major role is "The Dam Busters" (1955), but the best engineering movie is "Flight of the Phoenix" (1965), in which survivors of a plane crash build a smaller plane out of the parts of the larger plane that crashed. In that movie, more than half the time is dedicated to this engineering task.In "The Hole," however, prisoners are not trying to build something, but rather to break through what has already been built and intended to keep them locked up. Perhaps because this movie was based on a true story written by one of the prisoners involved in the attempted breakout himself, what the prisoners have to do to get out is not merely implied or briefly indicated, as in most such movies, but rather is shown in great detail. One of the prisoners has broken out of prisons three times before, and so he knows all the tricks. In addition to seeing just how ingenious and resourceful he is, we also experience the physical effort that goes into breaking through concrete.As often happens in movies about criminals, you begin to identify with them and want them to succeed. And so, it is a little disappointing that someone rats them out just before they are about to leave. On the other hand, had they escaped, the prisoner who wrote the book would probably not have written it, and then we wouldn't have had this movie to watch. So, I guess things worked out for the best.

tieman64 Jacques Becker's minimalist and effective "The Hole" tells the story of five prisoners, housed in a French prison during the late 1940s, who plot to dig a tunnel and so escape confinement. Becker would use mostly non-actors for the film's central roles, and seems heavily influenced by both Bresson's "A Man Escaped" and the "prisoner of war" movies of Jean Renoir, a director for whom Becker was an assistant. Becker would die of a heart attack shortly after completing his film."The Hole's" characters are an odd bunch, some sentenced for murder, some mysteriously aloof, some from privileged backgrounds and some suspiciously regarded by others as being untrustworthy at best, prison spies at worst. This all strongly recalls Bresson's (superior) "A Man Escaped", in which a character frets over whether or not to trust or kill a cell mate prior to proceeding with his plans for escape. Bresson's hero decides to trust, there are no betrayals, and the film eventually celebrates the prospects of humanity (the escape would have failed without our hero trusting his fellowman). Becker's film, however, presents the more sour, cynical flip-side to Bresson's; it's a film about disloyalty and the impossibility of solidarity."The Hole's" cinematography, by Ghislain Cloquet, also recalls Bresson's work, which was likewise gracious and almost saintly. And like "A Man Escaped", Becker's film features a heightened use of sounds; the chipping away of concrete, the scraping of metal, heavy breathing and long, tense silences. His plot and tone are wonderfully minimalist, recalling Dassin and Melville's work during the period. Melville would regard "The Hole" as a personal favourite.8/10 – Worth one viewing.

MartinHafer "Le Trou" begins with a new cell mate being moved to a new cell in the prison. Apparently they were doing some work in his cell and he and his cell mates were all split up and moved to new quarters. However, the guys already occupying the room have a secret--they've got a reasonably complicated escape plan. At first, they are apprehensive to let him in on the deal but soon realize that they are stuck with him and cannot proceed unless he, too, is part of their plan. The rest of the film consists of a meticulous and slow depiction of their tunnel. If you like heist films that show long and detailed plots, then this one is for you.Is this 'the greatest French film'? Probably not. But I could certainly see why Jean Pierre Melville would adore this movie, as its style is so close to his I might have believed he directed it--had I not known that it was actually directed by Jacques Becker. Like so many Melville films, this one excels in the realism department. And, like Melville, it's about crooks--and the film really focuses on them almost at the exclusion of all else. Now this sort of film does have one inherent problem--if you want to see a film where you can like the characters, then you'll have a hard time with this one. That's because the protagonists are all guys doing time in prison--so they are not exactly angels! As for me, I respected the film more than I liked the film. Simply put, I have seen several other prison films I have enjoyed more. Still, it's well worth seeing---particularly if you like French films, neo-realism (as the actors were real people--including some of the guys involved in the REAL escape about which this film is made) or prison flicks, then you'll most likely enjoy this film.