TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

classicsoncall "Papillon" is the kind of movie that shows to what lengths persevering men will go to, to achieve freedom. I've not read the Henri Charriere novel that was the basis for the film, though I'm guided in that direction by the film and other reviewers here. Just contemplating the horrors of being an inmate at St. Laurent Prison is enough to make one ill; seeing some of them depicted is downright nauseating. Eating bugs and going dark in solitary is not a pleasant prospect.Steve McQueen is excellent in one of his career defining roles, and it was interesting to see hints of Ratso Rizzo ("Midnight Cowboy") and the future Raymond Babbitt ("Rain Man") in Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of Louie Dega. The one disconnect I had with the picture though was with Dega's reputation as the best counterfeiter in France. Bereft of any possessions in prison, especially when banished to a French Guiana penal colony, what resources did he have to produce all the currency Papillon used for his various bribes? An additional scene or two, even brief ones, might have shed some light on that.But overall, this is an engaging film with an established star of the era (McQueen), and a notable celebrity in the making (Hoffman). It's taken me a long while to get around to this picture and now I'm glad I did. If this is anyone's first look at McQueen, be sure to take note of those incredibly blue eyes of his. They're almost unnatural.

evanston_dad "Papillon" stars Steve McQueen in a true story about a man imprisoned and doing time in an island penal colony and his single-minded conviction to eventually gain his freedom. The character played by Dustin Hoffman was a fictional one created for the film in the attempt to turn it into a buddy movie, and much as I like Hoffman as an actor, it's obvious that he was shoehorned into the screenplay. He drops out for large portions altogether, and the movie isn't much different for it. Also, McQueen and Hoffman didn't get along on set, and it shows in the lack of chemistry they have on screen.Otherwise, this is a pretty gripping film that perhaps goes on a little too long but never overstays its welcome.Jerry Goldsmith received an Oscar nomination for the film's score.Grade: A-

Sean Fay I had read the book previous to seeing this film and the adaptation by Franklin J. Schaffner tells the story in a good manner. It is hard to imagine the true aspects of the journey of Henri Charriere, played by Steve McQueen, though I know them to be based on fact. Steve McQueen plays a depressing role but does so in a way where the psychological torments are felt by the audience. This is a very underrated film and I can say wholeheartedly that does the book it's due justice. I am bummed that it is currently off the IMDb top 250 list hopefully it makes a return as it truly is a great film throughout. I have seen many Steve McQueen films and I want to pose the question of: is this his best? I believe it is truly in contention.

Kriti Gangadhar I am glad that i read the book first. This movie has not covered most of the major parts of the book. And many changes are made to the original story, i guess to adapt to the cast availability.Of course, I agree , no movie can be better than the book. But overall, as a movie it does justice to the story. The part where the Papillon lives with the Indians could have been made more interesting. It helped me give a life to my imagination. Many scenes that i have imagines while reading the book, i could relate to them after watching the movie. Very good acting by the lead characters. Kriti