Papillon

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Feb 2, 2019 The best movie score ever composed!

Finn W Jan 25, 2019 As is typical, the audience does a better job than critics of identifying a classic movie, produced, directed, and acted out with such excellence, as to culminate in one of the best movies ever made. Rivoting story, amazing acting. This is a must see! See more

Rey R Aug 26, 2018 One of the best movies I have ever seen.

Hermione R Aug 24, 2018 A fine portrayal of two people deteriorating over a long period of time, but the fighting spirit of one of them lives on, while the other finds peace in his confinement. A movie about endurance, which requires quite a bit of that from the audience as well. Several pretty brutal and graphic moments of torture are depicted. See more

Ron M May 17, 2018 1973 autobiographical movie based on the book by Frenchman Henri Charriere. The late, great Steve McQueen plays the part of Charriere or Butterfly, known as Papillon who is wrongly convicted of murder and faces harsh punishment on a French penal colony Devil's Island. A desolate place that makes Alcatraz look like a picnic! On the way to the island on a prison ship Papillon befriends a fellow felon convicted of financial misdemeanors/counterfeiting Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman). Dega hides money in his body it appears and makes a mockery of his demeanor of an intelligent, thick rimmed glasses wearing character. Dega pleads with Papillon to be his bodygaurd whilst on the ship and the two form an alliance that goes on for several years. Papillon is determined to escape the prison and his attempts lead to long spells of solitary confinement. Now I am not talking a few days here. These spells last years! McQueen really put effort into his weakened physical appearance for these sections of the film. Visibly losing weight and dying his hair to show ageing. The production values of the film are high. Much of the film is shot on location in the exotic French islands of the Guinea region. The movie does stretch a little (approximately two and a half hours) and the embers of the film are stretched. However the performances of the principal cast are excellent supported well by actors some of whom I recognised from shows such as Lost In Space and the James Bond empire (Licence To Kill/Anthony Zerbe). Papillon is one of those under the radar movies that appears to have gone under my movie watching radar which is a shame because it is quite good. Hoffman and McQueen add more excellent performances. The fact that the story is supposedly true makes the scenes even more harrowing. See more

Hermione S May 1, 2018 This grim and gritty 70s prison drama is a heartbreaking argument for companionship, no matter who are or where life has led you. Sure, it's more than a bit laborious, especially once they're on the run. But there's so much disarming, trippy and downright scary filmmaking going on within dark drama to keep it afloat. McQueen is an absolute beast of strength and emotion; the solitary confinement segment is authentically rough, watching him slowly lose his sanity. See more

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Papillon

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