Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

vincentlynch-moonoi ...because I usually don't like war movies. Maybe one in twenty...and I saw lots of them because when my dad would come home on leave from the Air Force, if there was a World War II film at the theater, he would always drag me to see it. I also am sure this is a good film because I could take Frank Sinatra or leave Frank Sinatra...it just depended on the particular film (or for that matter, record). Sinatra could certainly tug at your heartstrings...occasionally...perhaps the best examples being "A Hole In The Head" and "The Joker Is Wild". He didn't pull at your heart strings in "Von Ryan's Express" (except for the very last couple of minutes), but he did turn in a very good performance here. Some have mentioned that he was too old for the part. Well, technically I suppose that is true, but if you're worrying about that, then you're too damn picky. Who was too old for the part was Trevor Howard. Actually, Howard and Sinatra were close to the same age, but Sinatra looks pretty good here, while Howard looks all washed out (of course, you could make the case that war will do that to you).The other actors here do nicely, too. As to the plot, implausible? Sure, like most movies out there. I didn't find myself suspending belief here any more than I have to for most films. I particularly liked seeing Edward Mulhare; a very good but largely forgotten supporting actor. You'll see other faces you recognize, as well, but probably not whose names you remember.Location shooting for this film helped a lot, although some of the locations were no in Italy, but instead in Spain.If you like Sinatra and war films even a little, I think you'll like this film. I recommend it. I give it a very strong "7".HOWEVER, if you are updating your DVD collection with Blu Ray discs...don't bother. The Blu Ray disc I bought of this was somewhat grainy in many spots. It won't prevent you from enjoying the film, but it is noticeable and occasionally distracting.

TurboarrowIII I thought this film was great escapist fun.It may not be very believable but it is full of action and suspense.Sinatra is great as Ryan. After being shot down he ends up in an Italian POW camp. He isn't too impressed with Trevor Howard and his men and thinks they should sit out what is left of the war rather than try to escape. He has only just arrived at the camp so doesn't fully appreciate how bad things are especially as the commandant of the camp played by Adolfo Celi is "a two bit Mussolini" according to Brad Dexter's character.When Italy surrenders the prisoners attempt to get back to Allied lines. However, they end up getting captured by the Germans and are put on a train. Incredibly they manage to take over the train and hatch a plan to reach Switzerland after several attempts to abandon the train are thwarted. I really like the bit where the padre played by Edward Mulhare impersonates a Nazi officer and manages to get them through checks twice.The ending is great too as the train is attacked by German fighters and then troops on a chasing train. They manage to replace damaged track and carry on to Switzerland. The twist at the end is when Ryan is killed.Overall a fast paced and action packed film.

Dalbert Pringle Released in 1965 (and starring a noticeably scrawny, 50-year-old Frank Sinatra as the title character), I honestly found this WW2, hero-worship, drama to be hardly worth getting very excited about.With its decidedly weak, paint-by-numbers storyline, this film certainly pushed the limits of daring and resourceful heroics just a little too far for their own good.If nothing else - This 2-hour war/drama (set in 1943 in Italy) definitely went well out of its way to prove to its audience that the Nazis were all just a bunch of bungling "dummkopfs" (natch). And, in the same breath, this film repeatedly reinforced Colonel Ryan's complete adaptability and quick-thinking as though it were his second language, or something.Anyway - For me, the comical highlight of this picture came about in a scene involving a pair of nylon stockings. I mean, you really need to see this scene for yourself in order to believe it in all of its utterly laughable absurdity.

Scott LeBrun Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard headline a solid cast in this rousing adaptation of a novel by David Westheimer, directed with gusto by Mark Robson and filmed on breathtaking locations in Italy. Sinatra plays Joseph Ryan, an American Air Force pilot shot down and taken to a prison camp run by domineering Battaglia (Adolfo Celi). This camp is mostly populated by Brits, members of the Royal Army's 9th Fusiliers, with a couple of other Americans on hand. When the prisoners see their chance for escape, they take it, only to be recaptured by Nazi forces. However, they manage to outwit their captors and gain control of the train being used to transport them.One element that really helps "Von Ryan's Express" to sparkle is the antagonistic relationship between Ryan and English major Fincham (Trevor Howard), who has his own way of doing things. The actors - also including Brad Dexter as American POW Bostick, Sergio Fantoni as sympathetic Italian soldier Oriani, John Leyton as Orde, Edward Mulhare as Costanzo, Raffaella Carra as Gabriella, the films' sole female presence, and Wolfgang Preiss as Nazi major Von Klemment, with James Brolin, John Van Dreelen, Vito Scotti, Richard Bakalyan, William Berger, and James Sikking in small roles - are all tremendous fun to watch, creating a number of strong personalities that nicely complement the action and spectacle.The film is also an impressive technical achievement, thanks to contributors such as cinematographer William H. Daniels and those in the sound department, and Jerry Goldsmith delivers an eclectic and lively score. The pacing is a little slow to start, focusing on setting up character and situation, and picking up considerably once the action shifts to the train. The many thrilling train sequences are certain to get the audiences' attention; everything culminates in a particularly exciting finale as Ryan, Fincham, and the rest try to fight their way to freedom through the Alps, with Nazi goons in hot pursuit. The resolution is surprisingly bittersweet, with a development the viewers might not see coming.In the end, the film does memorably espouse the idea that if just one person can make it to freedom, then the whole ordeal will be worth it, and provides potent entertainment for just under two hours. It would make very interesting viewing to compare it with the John Frankenheimer / Burt Lancaster collaboration "The Train", for sure. It's well acted, well directed, and completely involving.Nine out of 10.