Papillon (1973):

Starring:

Steve McQueen - Henri "Papillon" Charriere

Dustin Hoffman - Louis Dega

Victor Jory - Indian Chief

Don Gordon - Julot

Anthony Zerbe - Toussaint

Robert Deman - Maturette

Woodrow Parfrey - Clusiot

Bill Mumy - Lariot

William Smithers - Warden Barrot

Val Avery - Pascal

Gregory Sierra - Antonio

Vic Tayback - Sergeant

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner (Planet Of The Apes; Patton; Lionheart)

Synopsis:

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Review:

Well if there is one thing Steve McQueen taught us, it's that he can escape anything.... except his own personal demons... and Mexican surgery. But in his movie's he could just about get himself out of anything. Sadly this is the only Steve McQueen movie I have ever seen & it's one later into his career, however it is still recognized as one of his better films. Co-starring a young-ish Dustin Hoffman, fresh off the success of The Graduate & Midnight Cowboy, he delivers a very interesting & weird character. A very gritty depiction of third world French occupied work camps & prisons. Great outdoor sets & natural scenery. A whole lot of Steve McQueen alone in a room. I will say even for a 1972 film so pretty dumb looking blood & death scenes. Especially for a bigger budget movie.

Budget: $12,000,000
Box Office: $53,267,000
Profit: $41,267,000

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Flixster: 87%

91%

Lead Acting: 15/15
Supporting Cast: 14/15
Plot: 9/10
Compared To The Genre: 8/10
Cinematography: 18/20
Intrigue: 18/20
Extra: 9/10