On P List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)

---

Papillon (1973)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 1/06, 7/07, 7/11, 5/16

1/06: Yep, this one did it.

Steve McQueen's claim as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema is staked in Papillon which is among the best prison pictures ever made. Dustin Hoffman is equally brilliant as Louis Degas.

All in all, there's nothing like Papillon.

7/07: The back of the DVD cover for Papillon reads: "Not just a great escape. It was the greatest."

Well, it should be: "Not just a great Steve McQueen performance. It was the greatest." Yes, indeed so.

All in all, Papillon is a cinema masterpiece.

7/11: Steve McQueen is something else in Papillon.

5/16: Still don't believe Steve McQueen as one of the finest actors ever graced the silver screen?

Well, I present you Papillon. Steve McQueen's performance should have earned him an Oscar nomination. Because of him, it's simply one of the greatest movies made. The strengths lie in Franklin Schaffner's direction and Dalton Trumbo's screenplay, both of them being the best in business.

Although they never got along on the set, Steve McQueen's collaboration with Dustin Hoffman is special. Their characters feed off each other while they're stuck in the humid jungle environment in some faraway foreign country.

All in all, Steve McQueen delivers the finest performance of his career in Papillon, a must-see masterpiece.

---