Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

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

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

caseyt-48511 Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attonbourgh, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn. How can you make a bad movie from this stellar cast? The Great Escape is a classic war/adventure film. Although it is more than that. It is an exciting escape film filled with great acting, exciting action and suspenseful moments. It really has the whole package. You could easily argue when it comes to historical accuracy but I hardly take that into account anymore unless it is detrimental to the story. It is not all action though. Much of the movie is exposition but the dialogue is well written and the actors do such a good job that it is hard to turn away. Director John Sturges is a personal favorite director of mine and he does a great job here. It is a classic epic that is a necessity for classic movie and action movie fans.

beresfordjd The Great Escape is a great film. The main problem with it is that in the UK it has been shown on TV probably twice a year at least since it's first TV showing - in fact it seems like more. When it is on I, for one, usually try to avoid it but if I do catch 5 minutes then I am hooked all over again! The cast is wonderful, a mixture of real stars and character actors. Although it is a long film the pacing is superb and the viewer's attention is held throughout. My favourite characters are played by James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn,Richard Attenborough and James Donald. Steve McQueen plays Hiltz the cooler king in his usual laconic, comic style but I find it annoying considering American POWs did not make such a huge contribution to escapes like these. It was great to see so many actors from The Magnificent Seven (another awesome favourite of mine) back on screen and directed again by John Sturges - he knew what he was doing in casting.

tjsdomer2 The Great Escape is sure a lot of fun. I was unsure whether a film of this magnitude could pull off all these characters, but I can say it does an admirable job at that. All the characters also admirably show what a person will do in order to obtain freedom, all the while depicting their German captors in a not so unsympathetic light; there is still chivalry among the armies.As far as characters are concerned, Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough really stand out as Allied captives. One minor character I enjoyed was the German soldier Werner, who has a funny interaction with Garner's character in the barracks.The last thirty minutes of The Great Escape dawdle a bit and come across as a bit of a footnote at first, until the viewer realizes the full scope and objective of the plan. Overall, there is a ton to like and this film is close enough to perfect to deserve a 4 out of 4 star rating.

Emmanuel_S The Great Escape is one of those films that you could watch time and time again and still love even more with each viewing. Imagine a movie where you would put all the greatest movie stars of their Era in. That's exactly what they did here! The Great Escape is, in my mind, the greatest War movie of all Time. Add to the stellar cast, a score by Legendary Hollywood composer Elmer Bernstein and there you have one of the greatest War movie themes of all Time. A theme with a tune so catchy, so memorable that you might find yourself humming and whistling it as you go through your day. The Great Escape is basically the story of POW during War time in their Nazi detention camp. And what are, not just POW but the best POW, up to in their enemy detention camp? They plan their escape. An escape so ingenious that it involves digging three tunnels at the same time underneath and through their camp to the wood outside. In the main role we have Hollywood Legend, Steve McQueen as Lieutenant Virgil Hilts, a hot shot American pilot who has only one idea in his head, escaping! One of the most interesting scene for me was at the end, when Hilts, recaptured again, is about to be put back in his cell inside the cooler. There you have a German guard ready to put our hero, who incidentally is the personification of the perfect Aryan (according to Hitler), blue eyed and blond hairs, into his cell. As the guard closes the door and walks away from Hilts'cell, he hears the noise of Hilts' baseball bouncing off the walls, back and forth into Hilts' baseball glove. He pauses for an instant as if to ponder whether what he is doing to the embodiment of the perfect German specimen is wrong. He lowers his head, then walks away with his head held down as if to convey that he realizes that what he is doing is indeed wrong and that he could never break Hilts' strong spirit. I highly recommend this all time Classic for all, a masterpiece!