Papillon (A-)

Short version: A story about a man named Papillon, framed for a murder, he is sentenced to life in prison. The movie follows his attempts to escape and is based on the true story of Henri Charriere. An excellent movie and rated with a minus (A-) only because it is right at 2 and a half hours long. I do recommend watching it.


Long Version: Well as I said above, this movie is 2 and a half hours long, so if you don't like long movies this isn't for you. This movie was originally released in 1973, yes it's an oldie! Starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, this is an excellent film and worth watching. Go pick it up wherever available and watch! 


McQueen plays as Henri "Papillon" Charriere, a prisoner that is wrongfully committed of murder, at Devil's Island in French Guiana. While in prison he befriends a fellow inmate, Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman). Serving their time and after being placed in solitary confinement makes Papillon begin to plan his escape. However attempt after attempt lands him back in custody serving more and more time in solitary. He serves several years in solitary confinement and you can tell that it takes a toll on the human body. The physical distress as well as the mental, breaks you down. Papillon has been pushed to the limits of near death but is driven by willpower to be free.
McQueen plays this roll extremely well and is supported greatly by Hoffman. 


Without giving away everything and giving you a reason not to watch this 2 and a half hour movie, I say that it is so worth watching! There are a few slow points, but with the movie as long as it is, that's to be expected. There is action, violence and of course suspense of being caught. The affects are really good considering that this movie is from the early seventies! I guess while I'm at it, you might be wondering how I would have seen or heard about this movie.. I remember my dad watching it when I was younger and I saw it the other day and I bought it. Also, it looks great in HD, I picked up the Blu-Ray and it was worth it. It is old, but they just don't make movies like this anymore. Go watch it!


As always, the links below will take you to Amazon where you can buy the movie. I'm pretty sure this one isn't on Netflix, but it's worth buying.




 

Alex