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The Great Escape

The Great Escape

1963
Drama, Action
2h 52m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 70.92% from 4451 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(4451)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
92nd
Steve McQueen at his best. What am I saying? Steve McQueen was always at his best.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
97
90th
Sensational WWII about hordes of allied prisoners of war attemping a mass escape from a German POW camp. It doesn't feel overlong in it's gigantic 3 hour long running time, and the ending is shockingly tragic. Highly recommended, and it's one of the best War films in the entire world.
Rated 18 Jun 2009
99
99th
In my opinion, the greatest war film ever. A brilliant remake of "Chicken Run" that works much better with humans instead of poultry :)
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
80th
One of my favorite war movies. Excellent cast and great acting. This is probably my favorite Steve McQueen flick. The motorcycle chase is one of the classic scenes of American Cinema.
Rated 28 Oct 2007
92
95th
Despite being extremely Americanized, it is simply fantastic. It holds the test of time perfectly and has a phenomenal cast.
Rated 31 Dec 2013
89
96th
There's no way Steve McQueen could ever be cooler than when he's on a horse. Unless you put him on a motorcycle...oh my God!
Rated 12 Dec 2006
95
99th
Incredibly exciting and tense, and despite its long runtime it hardly ever loses steam.
Rated 04 Jul 2007
90
85th
Highly enjoyable, and surprisingly lean for its nearly three hours of runtime. It never gets boring. It has great characters and generally good acting. The movie doesn't try to shoehorn anything in; it does what it needs to do and it does it well.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
86th
The escape plot was fun to watch unfold and the actors did a great job. Little bummed out about the ending, but that's what you get when you base movies off of real life events.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
94th
A broad cast of colorful characters inhabit the most inescapable prison camp in WWII. The first half plays out almost comically. The characters are fleshed out and amuse us with their entertaining escape efforts. But it is the second half that is awe-inspiring as our heroes go through great lengths and hardships to make it out of Germany.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
87th
That pic is just so painful.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
77th
A classic little WWII movie. Great action and story with strong characters.
Rated 22 Sep 2007
90
96th
Star studded in the way they used to make movies. This one is an excellent film based on the true story of prisoners of war making a mass escape from a German Luftwaffe prisoner camp.
Rated 01 Nov 2007
45
33rd
I'm not a fan of these macho man movies with the all-star cast, where the Nazis are lenient if not wimpy, and our well-groomed (even in a prisoner camp) protagonists constantly get the upper hand thanks to their heroic courage and ingenuity, and flawless morality. This movie may be based on some factual matter but obviously, none of it is in any way real. It's more like a male fantasy of an escape from a German camp, and it's most likely to entertain you if you're a man and have manhood issues.
Rated 17 Mar 2008
83
96th
Brilliantly crafted. It simply doesn't age. A fantastic combination of the heart of a true story, dressed up nicely by tight Hollywood storytelling. It easily could've been either a lot more sobering or schmaltzy but it walks the line between them deftly. A deserved classic for the masses.
Rated 29 May 2008
86
92nd
A classic prison break movie, I guess I don't need to justify myself considering only 12 of all the people on Criticker who ranked this (931) hated it, thats 1.3%. whoever didn't like this must be some kind of mayhem causing demon from another world.
Rated 27 Jun 2008
93
98th
Very Great Escape
Rated 27 Sep 2008
79
80th
Very enjoyable movie about 250 Allied prisoners trying to escape from a German war camp. The beautiful story is told in a rather comical way (supported by its playful soundtrack), but it does get grimmer and more confronting towards the end. There's some great moments of tension and action in this 3 hour long movie that doesn't bore at all.
Rated 18 Mar 2009
78
82nd
Underwhelming. Great, but underwhelming. Attenborough here bears an uncanny resemblance to Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Rated 06 Apr 2009
90
94th
I don't really know why this isn't considered to be a classic Family film on the same level as the Wizard of OZ... It's easily as family-friendly as any Disney film and the story is simple enough that any child could understand. Oh, and I forgot it's entertaining as HECK. I first watched this when I was about 6 or 7 and have loved it ever since.
Rated 18 Jul 2009
91
82nd
For such a long movie, it's triumphant in that it's always interesting and never drags.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
72
71st
A film that makes it on to TV every holiday season. It's good no doubt, but a tad overrated in my opinion.
Rated 30 Jan 2010
97
98th
The Great Escape should be an incredibly upsetting movie of hardship and tragedy and it manages to incorporate moments of painfully hard viewing brilliantly, but the story focuses heavily on the unbreakable spirit of the captives in impossible circumstances. The characters and story telling couldn't be better and the plot is entertaining and uplifting despite the harsh environment. A fantastic watch and some awe-inspiring events from a shocking reality we will hopefully never know.
Rated 03 Aug 2010
94
96th
One of the best war films around, the Great Escape starts off pretty lighthearted and becomes far more serious towards the end. The 3 hour running time is utilized to its fullest and McQueen and the gang are all solid. Classic in every sense.
Rated 03 Jan 2011
89
95th
Steve McQueen, James Garner and Charles Bronson. So like, you want fries with that?
Rated 01 Sep 2011
80
70th
It's pretty well paced for its length, once everything is set up things just get more and more tense. It also didn't end at all like I expected it to. I got attached to many of the characters. Steve McQueen's character was actually my least favorite, he looked like he didn't belong there. He's just way too cool. You could've just substituted a dog wearing sunglasses for his scenes. Although I don't know if a cool dog could ride a motorcycle as well.
Rated 17 Dec 2011
89
95th
This movie is not a good or very good escape but definitely a Great Escape! A great ensemble cast and a great soundtrack. I highly recommend this film.
Rated 02 May 2014
65
33rd
It has a hell of a cast, which makes it all the more disappointing that I found this kind of mediocre. It's long and not entertaining enough for its length and I also felt some weird dissonance within.
Rated 20 Jun 2015
85
87th
I love prison (or war camp) escape movies. It took me a long time to give this one a chance due to the long run time but I am happy to report I thought it was great and I didn't even notice the 3 hours.
Rated 22 Aug 2015
85
48th
This movie has an all-star cast, but honestly few of the characters are really given much more than a one dimensional role. The real star who is developed is the escape itself. This is impressive, but it also reduces the emotional impact of the movie. You get attached to maybe a couple of characters, but the light tone of the first half and the development of the escape over characters reduced the impact of the depressing second half for me. You wind up with a good, but not great, movie.
Rated 03 Aug 2017
100
94th
The first two acts are good but the third act (post-escape) is absolutely brilliant.
Rated 19 Jul 2018
70
15th
Fun for nostalgists and a great story but maybe a bit past its sell by date in terms of pace and storytelling. The cast is sublime though!
Rated 17 Nov 2018
70
53rd
Ramsey: "Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape. If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability."
Rated 29 Jan 2019
81
84th
Makes 3 hours fly by in seemingly half that time. A great balancing act of tension, drama, and infectious comedy.
Rated 24 Feb 2019
70
73rd
Methodical and gritty. The film doesn't rush anything, and the ending is very strong.
Rated 19 Feb 2007
70
82nd
Great war film.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
86
93rd
Totally worth its 3 hour runtime, this is a really entertaining classic.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
95
98th
This is a film that utilizes its running time more efficiently than most other movies, as each character is given proper screen time to get us to know and love him (or hate him), and there is not an ounce of fat to cut away. By the end, we care about the fates of these guys as if they were family, which makes the escape sequence one of the most unnerving, tension-filled sequences ever shot. And legendary actors and iconic scenes make this one of the best prison escape movies ever made.
Rated 26 Mar 2007
80
68th
Too much like a sitcom, but still a good WW2 adventure movie
Rated 27 Mar 2007
98
99th
This film never gets old. Fucking crushing. I remember always being really fond of Attenborough in this, even when I first saw this as a young preteen. Great film.
Rated 12 Apr 2007
81
67th
Interesting and engrossing, which is why the ending seems to come completely out of nowhere, I guess.
Rated 08 Jun 2007
100
99th
One of my favourite films. Great ensemble piece that's well edited and paced so the three hour running time never lags. Classic soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein. Great characters with some very memorable performances, and both sides are well portrayed.
Rated 09 Jul 2007
82
70th
can't fade on this movie. LOVE it.
Rated 12 Jul 2007
95
93rd
A great WWII classic.
Rated 10 Aug 2007
92
79th
You've got to like McQueen to like this movie. But it is a classic.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
81
84th
Good, good movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
88th
the shortest long movie their is, feels like 100 mins!
Rated 18 Aug 2007
95
84th
A classic ! Must have seen it dozens of times. So many great actors in it, it's awesome.
Rated 19 Aug 2007
100
87th
Timeless movie. Watch this on Memorial Day and thank your veterans when you see them.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
75
79th
entertaining film, though unremarkable
Rated 02 Jan 2008
89
92nd
Bright, dark, optimistic and depressing but above all an uplifting view into the human spirit. Based on fact this is an all time classic. Packed with more stars than the Greenwich observatory and still able to produce the will to succeed in their efforts - You must have seen it but if you're the one person on the planet who hasn't - get it.
Rated 26 Jan 2008
81
38th
Steve McQueen, hell yeah.
Rated 11 Feb 2008
97
96th
In my opinion, easily one of the three greatest WWII films (along with "Dirty Dozen" & "Longest Day")
Rated 13 Feb 2008
99
96th
A well acted, well directed, keep you on the edge of your seat adventure drama. There is little to find fault with here, so just sit back and enjoy. And when you're done, be sure to enjoy Chicken Run, the claymation remake which is just as good but with parody thrown in for an added angle.
Rated 02 Mar 2008
66
45th
# 681
Rated 24 Apr 2008
96
97th
Incredible. One of the most compelling and entertaining movies I've seen. Escape plots are always fun. Great cast. Two words... Steve McQueen.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
87
93rd
one of the great ensemble movies.
Rated 30 Apr 2008
88
62nd
An awesome classic.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
90
60th
Classic.
Rated 17 Sep 2008
45
64th
en lørdag nat efter bytur
Rated 30 Sep 2008
95
95th
Fantastic! It has everything!!!
Rated 05 Oct 2008
88
92nd
Nice movie, a great classic, good actors.
Rated 27 Oct 2008
70
61st
Good, but not great WWII actioner
Rated 10 Nov 2008
85
83rd
One of my favorite war movies.
Rated 17 Nov 2008
85
88th
One of the best movies about leakage and concentration camps, a topic that has often been used. But surely this, as well as great, was the pioneer, with a splendid cast and a great performance from Steve McQueen.
Rated 02 Dec 2008
88
90th
Steve McQueen... need I say more? Yeah, I should. Pretty much an epic about a prison break, this is a really well produced, directed, and acted movie. The cast is what made this so strong. Great performance from top to bottom, and the plot will keep you watching through the entire thing.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
62
24th
757
Rated 24 Dec 2008
4
55th
Entirely entertaining, if a bit cliched and hammed up by unrealistic portrayals - also draaaaaaaaags a bit by the end. Let's say partly entertaining.
Rated 03 Jan 2009
80
80th
classic
Rated 26 Jan 2009
80
53rd
pretty decent movie... kind of long... great dialogue and the characters were memorable
Rated 04 Mar 2009
60
85th
POW tale with a very roomy and airy feel to it, on the wide screen and in travelogue color, and staged with a sweeping eye for geometry. (A startling contrast, for example, to Bresson's claustrophobic _A Man Escaped_.) It builds up considerable rooting interest in its large congregation of heroes, portrayed by such smoothies as McQueen, Garner, Coburn, Bronson, Attenborough, Pleasence, and Donald. Sturges is a smoothie in his own right.
Rated 19 Mar 2009
100
93rd
If ever there was a movie that could be called pure cheer-the-heroes entertainment, it's this one.
Rated 30 Mar 2009
94
89th
A must see for any action/war fan...........
Rated 29 Apr 2009
80
45th
Don't tell my dad I liked it... I'll never live it down...
Rated 02 May 2009
85
96th
The classic prison break flick! Very well done. One of the best war movies. And it doesn't feel long at all.
Rated 05 May 2009
85
78th
It's not the movie's fault that much of it's best stuff has become cliche over the years; rather, it shows how strong the movie must have played in its time and how well it survives familiarity after all these years -- if that makes sense. Freder loves these big sweeping widescreen sixties movies as a general rule, but this one would have been better in a more cramped aspect ratio. Would have liked to have seen more of Garner doing what he does best. Very compelling overall.
Rated 10 Jun 2009
80
91st
A classic for a reason. McQueen is awesome, along with the starstudded crew. A great escape indeed!
Rated 19 Jul 2009
92
83rd
One of the all time great movies. I watch this whenever it is on TV.
Rated 30 Sep 2009
100
85th
An better Anti-War movie could never be filmed. A superb Cast and a great Story !
Rated 14 Nov 2009
75
28th
unrealistic subtleties in the action and the "was it all worth it" line at the end hurt me a little bit
Rated 18 Dec 2009
81
83rd
Very enjoyable movie about 250 Allied prisoners trying to escape from a German war camp. The beautiful story is told in a rather comical way (supported by its playful soundtrack), but it does get grimmer and more confronting towards the end. There's some great moments of tension and action in this 3 hour long movie that doesn't bore at all.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
82
52nd
The best of all escape movies.
Rated 15 Jan 2010
63
26th
740
Rated 15 Mar 2010
86
94th
Splendid.
Rated 16 Mar 2010
96
96th
It's a classic for a reason. It's fantastic.
Rated 24 May 2010
4
90th
Excellent war movie. - Very Good
Rated 29 Jun 2010
84
85th
Fantastic score and a great story. I guess all true stories are great that are turned into films with a big budget of course.
Rated 18 Jul 2010
88
92nd
It's lighthearted and sometimes a bit silly, but nevertheless a truly thrilling and entertaining 3 hours with a great cast.
Rated 29 Aug 2010
86
83rd
I was going to complain about how the overall tone of the first half of the film is too upbeat and optimistic: the score, the sitcom-like antics, the hard-to-swallow incompetence of the Luftwaffe officers, and the meticulous display of a seemingly infallible plan. But the endings for our heroes absolutely shattered my expectations, and made the film all the better for doing so. Despite the tragedy, it retains an inspiring "Never give up!" message. Garner and McQueen shine here.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
72
42nd
I think that it should have deviated more from the true story; it reminds of The Wrong Man in that respect. The last hour or so was a chore, but the two preceding were great.
Rated 26 Oct 2010
76
50th
Such an enjoyable classic to war films. It is a lot more light hearted then other war camp movies and is enjoyable to watch throughout the movie.
Rated 09 Nov 2010
75
80th
A little on the lengthy side, but enjoyable and well performed. Appropriate balance of war v. character focus. Besides, I cannot disagree with Steve McQueen.
Rated 26 Nov 2010
40
38th
It's just too damn long. So much could be cut. For example, at the beginning when Attenborough arrives at the camp and walks into a room and greets a Nazi leader. Then that leader brings Attenborough through another door and in to see the whole camp's Nazi leader. Why the hell did we need to see that twice? And why did the actor playing an Australian not even attempt the proper accent? It just doesn't hold up.
Rated 25 Dec 2010
90
92nd
89.750
Rated 01 Jan 2011
75
44th
Good but dated.
Rated 09 May 2011
62
63rd
Definitely drags on and on. Entertaining, but I wouldn't watch it twice. I have no idea how Steve McQueen gets top billing when he's only on-screen for maybe 10 of this movie's 180 minutes.
Rated 14 May 2011
70
41st
It's a fun film to watch, with a lot of great gags - especially physical ones. Goes on for a bit too long, though.
Rated 20 May 2011
90
94th
Three very entertaining hours. Superb cast and great directing. I love how the overall mood gradually changes throughout the movie.
Rated 04 Jul 2011
80
85th
"The Great Escape" is two hours a great film and three quarters a good one. The bulk of it is about the preparation and the escape itself and it manages to be quite exciting and tense, thanks to likable characters and strong performances from a large ensample (Attenborough and Pleasence I liked the best). But the final act seemed superfluous -enjoyable, yet redundant. Still, this is a remarkable and highly entertaining war film that would have benefited from a shorter run time.
Rated 13 Aug 2011
93
97th
Absolutely brilliant film. It has some humor so it's not an extremely heavy watch. Still, it has its depressing bits. Good acting, everyone is likable and you almost feel part of the escape itself.

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