Papillon

1973

Action / Biography / Crime / Drama

109
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 90% · 33 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 90% · 25K ratings
IMDb Rating 8.0/10 10 144861 144.9K

prison escape prison escape jungle solitary confinement based on memoir or autobiography

Plot summary

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.

Director

Franklin J. Schaffner Photo
Franklin J. Schaffner

Top cast

Victor Jory Photo
Victor Jory as Indian Chief
Fred Sadoff Photo
Fred Sadoff as Deputy Warden
Steve McQueen Photo
Steve McQueen as Henri 'Papillon' Charriere
Peter Brocco Photo
Peter Brocco as Doctor
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay 2160p.BluRay
1.35 GB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles nl  
23.976 fps
2 hr 30 min
Seeds 19
2.16 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles nl  
23.976 fps
2 hr 31 min
Seeds 60
6.75 GB
3840*2160
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 30 min
Seeds 22

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by atlasmb 8 / 10

A Stark Depiction of Captivity, Mostly True

I saw "Papillon" on its initial release in 1973 and I found on rewatching recently that I had forgotten most of it. I am not sure what that says about the film, but after decades I was only left with the general impression that a prisoner's life on Devil's Island was horrible.The story is true to some degree. Whatever its authenticity, the film is impressive in its depiction of a horrible reality--for Devil's Island did exist. And it is a filmic testament to the human spirit and its desire for freedom. Much of the credit goes to Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, who played the two leads. If one is measuring McQueen's acting ability, it might be wise to start with his portrayal of the titular Papillon. Hoffman, on the other hand, has many other tours de force to his credit.Among the canon of prison films, "Papillon" is certainly first rate. Personally, I prefer "Cool Hand Luke" or "Bridge on the River Kwai", but "Papillon" presents a stark captivity with little dialogue, relying on the camera's close investigation of the minutiae of daily existence as reflected in the prisoners' faces and their bearing. Did McQueen or Hoffman deserve the Oscar for Best Actor? They might have split the vote if both were nominated, but each probably deserved a nomination.
Reviewed by Leofwine_draca 10 / 10

A bona fide classic

Regardless of its veracity as a true story, PAPILLON is a wonderful piece of movie-making. It's a prison breakout movie that transcends its genre origins to become a study of the human condition, exploring man's endurance and survival against the harshest elements. Featuring a couple of stand-out turns from the lead actors, this is an underrated classic and a film that you never hear much about, which is criminal.Steve McQueen, still effortlessly cool a good ten years or so after THE GREAT ESCAPE, plays another con, this time a Frenchman with the tattoo of a butterfly on his chest - hence his name, 'Papillon'. He's sent to a French penal colony in Guyana, where he endures the kind of extreme conditions that would send most of us to the loony bin. The film that follows is absolutely gripping from beginning to end, even though it's fairly slow-paced for a lot of it.It's worth mentioning Dustin Hoffman, lending brilliant support as the short-sighted fellow con, and Franklin J. Schaffner's direction, which wrings every drop of sweat out of the grimy and dirty conditions. I'm also guessing this must have been a big hit in Italy, because the cannibal movie sub-genre that followed shamelessly rips this film off, from the jungle traps and natives to the crippled man attempting to navigate the depths of the jungle with only a stick to help him.
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