Rent Papillon (1973)

A classic escape picture! - Papillon review by IanF

If you haven''t seen the original Papillon, I strongly recommend it. Some of what he goes through is pretty hard to take, but it's also a warm 'buddy movie' and an exciting escape drama.

The amazing thing is, it's a true story. The subject was locked up in 1933, and did not finally escape for over 14 years.

Fantastic Prison Escape Drama - Papillon review by GI

This adventure drama is a fantastic film based on a bestselling novel that was claimed to be a true story but it's since been exposed as a work of mostly fiction. But that doesn't take away from this brilliant film. It's essentially a prison escape story set in the 1920s where Henri (Steve McQueen in arguably his best role), nicknamed Papillon due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest, a Parisian safe breaker, is framed for murder by the state and sentenced to life on a penal colony in French Guiana. Determined to escape he befriends Louis (Dustin Hoffman giving a typical intense performance) who has hidden reserves of cash. However escape attempts are met with extremely harsh punishments worse than the abysmal conditions in which the prisoners are kept. The film is brutal but it's also a story of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit. An epic, compelling and exciting film and one that you should check out if you've never seen it.