Review of Papillon (1973) by Chris B — 26 Mar 2012
"Papillon" is a solidly acted film that focuses on two men and a few others they meet while in prison as they try and escape from an island prison in which they are against not only the guards, but mother nature as well.
Dustin Hoffman's character Louis Dega is reluctant to try and leave and the first and third time that Steve McQueen's character Charriere tries to escape he stays put. The second outing he is forced, due to circumstances making him be involved and ultimately preventing Charriere from being shot, leads to him being captured and penalized enough to not try again.
Charriere however is much more resilient and never gives up in his attempts to escape, even after a 2 year and 5 year bid of solitude slapped on his previous sentence. At the end he finally manages to escape, having nothing to fear except being imprisoned any longer, and rides the current to salvation.
The film is a hard hitting drama and one that is brilliantly acted and captured by the film makers. You feel for the guys, especially Steve McQueen's Charriere because he was falsely accused and thus shouldn't be in prison at all.
While the film sits right at 2 1/2 hours in running time it is evenly paced and visually arresting, making the time go by rather fast.
This review of Papillon (1973) was written by Chris B on 26 Mar 2012.
Papillon has generally received very positive reviews.
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