# Greatest prison escape movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646 "2012-08-06T19:04:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/1 "2012-08-06T19:04:31Z")
If I’d been asked this last year I might have said _The Great Escape_ or _The Shawshank Redemption_, wonderful movies both and tough to choose between. But that was before I saw [Le Trou](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/). It’s a 1960 B&W French movie directed by Jacques Becker. It is set in 1947 in La Santé prison in Paris and tells of 4 cellmates who are planning an elaborate escape. Just as they are ready to begin the operation a young man is moved into their cell. Can he be trusted? So this gem of a movie begins and I give nothing away when I say that towards the end there is a camera shot so sudden and unexpected that it takes your breath away. Astonishing film and IMHO the greatest prison escape movie ever made. (It also works on different levels, class differences being a crucial subtext of the work). Any other Dopers who love this movie? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/2 "2012-08-06T19:12:14Z")
_[Chicken Run](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Run)_, hands down. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/3 "2012-08-06T19:29:39Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > But that was before I saw [Le Trou](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/). It’s a 1960 B&W French movie directed by Jacques Becker. I saw the thread title and thought “well, _Le Trou_ is excellent, but no one will have even heard of it.” The first time I saw it was in French with German subtitles, neither of which I understood. And I missed the beginning. So I didn’t get a lot of the story, but the getting-shit-to-work-ness of the escape is riveting. I wrote down some names from the closing credits so I could look it up on IMDb, and then Netflixed it when I was back in the States. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/4 "2012-08-06T19:38:37Z")
Lots of 'em \*Escape from Alcatraz Runaway Train The Wooden Horse The Colditz Story Papillon\* I never heard of _le Trou_. I’ll have to look it up ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/5 "2012-08-06T19:46:59Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > _[Chicken Run](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Run)_, hands down. i was going to say Toy Story 3. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/6 "2012-08-06T20:59:51Z")
Escape from Alcatraz has been mentioned. A Man Escaped And I’ll add the whole first season of Prison Break as one ‘movie’. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/7 "2012-08-06T21:57:47Z")
Escape of the Birdmen with Doug McClure. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/8 "2012-08-06T22:14:32Z")
_Shawshank Redemption_ certainly deserves a mention. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/9 "2012-08-06T23:14:15Z")
My favorite is the aptly titled The Great Escape. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/10 "2012-08-06T23:16:02Z")
Papillon is another good one. edit: Dangit. I should learn to read or something. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/11 "2012-08-08T00:17:57Z")
I saw A Man Escaped the other day and I thought it was really good considering how minimalist it was. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/12 "2012-08-08T04:16:05Z")
Papillon ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/13 "2012-08-08T04:45:18Z")
I’m rather fond of _Stalag 17_, myself. I’m a big William Holden fan, but I loved every character in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Anna\_Nimity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Anna\_Nimity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anna_Nimity)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/14 "2012-08-08T05:32:30Z")
I’m watching Le Trou right now on You Tube, so far its really good, I’m about 30 minutes into it. Also, it gets 8.4 stars on IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/15 "2012-08-08T09:11:14Z")
A pretty good one that hasn’t been mentioned is _[The McKenzie Break](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066064/)_. It’s about a WWII u-boat crew’s attempt to escape from an allied POW camp. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/16 "2012-08-08T09:51:04Z")
[Escape From New York](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/) [Rabbit-Proof Fence](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/) [Midnight Express](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077928/) [Escape to Victory](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083284/) [Kiss of the Spider Woman](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089424/) ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/17 "2012-08-08T10:12:17Z")
The Count of Monte Cristo. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/18 "2012-08-08T12:56:43Z")
Von Ryan’s Express Summer of My German Soldier ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/19 "2012-08-08T22:47:09Z")
_Holes_ ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646/20 "2012-08-08T23:34:35Z")
_La Grande Illusion_, one of the pioneers of the genre. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-prison-escape-movie/630646.md?page=2)