Movie: 'Escape To Victory' (1981)

'Escape to Victory', a World War II prisoner of war escape soccer movie. A fusion involving Michael Caine AND Sylvester Stallone from 1981. A movie directed by the legendary John Huston of 'Maltese Falcon' fame. A living contradiction and enthralling manly mass of footballers pretending to act. In short it's a modern classic that defies genre, and one with an unusual turn near the end. That turn determines how you'll react to this movie. It will either tip you over into disbelief or reaffirm your belief in silly movie magic. In short it's all about the moondust.

So, a proposed football match between some prisoners and guards gets taken up by the Nazi propaganda machine and built up into a German Reich versus Allied Forces trophy match, and the Allied Captain Colby (Caine) goes from a position of bargaining better rations for his players to being under threats and charges of collaboration unless he and the team escape. Grumpy Canadian Hatch (Stallone) escapes to Paris but then is forced to get recaptured and sent back to the camp to get the team's instructions back to them. At half time, and at 3-1 to some blatantly cheating Germans with the help of corrupt referees, the team are in the locker room and heading into the tunnel with their injured when the turn comes.

'Hold on, we could win this.'

Yes, they were almost free until someone said that. Colby takes up the call and they go back with an incredulous Hatch, facing down the crooked Germans and finally level at 4-4 with the injured Pelé scoring the equaliser and Hatch preventing the German penalty for victory. The second turn is even more cheesy but just as good, the Parisian crowd floods the ground, and carts off the players in their midst and they all escape and screen fades to red.

This movie is a joy, and even though it's cheesy and there's gurning evident in the second half of the soccer portion it's still lovely and overwhelmingly stupid in places. Good show on an ironic piece of entertainment, Mr Huston.

Pros: Caine in personable form, Stallone in a very controlled performance, a bearable football portion (I dislike soccer), the score, Max von Sydow's performance in Paris portion.

Cons: Caine's character Colby really is collaborating in a sense, Stallone's solo portion is a little flat.

Almost quotes: "Terry scored a goal!", "This game is important to us, Hatch. Please."