THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) (***1/2)
This fun entertainment’s only flaw is that it’s too fun. Set in a Nazi prison camp, a legion of soldiers from the British and American armies make it their mission to escape and/or cause the most disruption for the Nazis as they can.
Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough, JURASSIC PARK) leads the major escape effort, which will tunnel under the guarded fence and allow for 250 prisoners to flee. Capt. Hilts (Steve McQueen, BULLITT), like any typical American character, wants to escape on his own, which is approved by Roger to throw off the enemy. Joining Hilts is the nervous Archibald Ives (Angus Lennie, OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR). After each of their escapes, Hilts and Ives are recaptured and thrown into the cooler for months at a time.