Franklin J. Schaffner directs Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman and Don Gordon in this thrilling “true” tale of a  French thief and a white collar criminal’s growing friendship as they try to escape the horrors of French Guiana penal colony.

Two of my favourite movie stars pair up, with their grinding acting styles just emphasising the unlikely loyalty and respect that grows between them over the years trying to eke out a little freedom. McQueen in particular lowers the bucket into his acting well deep, no longer relying on his movie star cool to enthrall you. When the brutal system of the penal colony,  and Darwinian tropical nature that dominates it, wears him down it is like the free spirit of the sixties is being eradicated. Schaffner is a fine director of men unwilling to submit to the bars that enslave them. His is such an interesting and underrated output. And he has never directed a better film than here, one that beautifully captures the absurdity of the horrors inflicted on the poor souls oppressed and punished by perverse imprisonment. A prisoner carries a corpse to get extra rations, dream sequences sprung on us are as nightmarish as anything Jodorowsky magics up, McQueen’s rapid ageing as he is put through the deprivation of solitary is shockingly surreal. That attention to the cruel ecosystem surrounding the prisoners; there are so many shots of fighting crabs, snapping crocodiles, netted birds and stray dogs that you can feel like your are in a tougher, grittier Terrence Malick’s film. But whereas Malick’s concerns are of man’s insignificance to nature, here Schaffner is juxtaposing the inhuman with the inhumane. Only a moment of solace occurs between McQueen and some natives who share no language – and it feels like Malick’s ripped this sequence off wholesale for the start of The Thin Red Line. Pretentious symbolism aside, it is entertaining in it buddy movie dynamic, in its action. Each of the escapes are thrilling set pieces. An epic adventure, perfectly executed and with a strong message of hope for all. You can feel Papillon’s distinct thematic echoes in more highly regarded modern films such as Shawshank, Point Break and Schindler’s List. That’s a completely varied bunch of quality influencees. This key work should not be lost to time but rather be held up as a true great of mid 20th century cinema.

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