THE GREAT ESCAPER reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Oliver Parker
Stars: Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, John Standing, Danielle Vitalis, Will Fletcher, Elliot Norman, Laura Marcus, Wolf Kahler, Victor Oshin.
A tinge of nostalgia permeates this heartwarming drama which is the final film for two-time Oscar winning and Tony award winning actress the late Glenda Jackson, who passed away late last year at the age of 87 shortly after completing work on the movie. It is also rumoured to be the final film for dual Oscar winner Michael Caine, who announced that he is retiring from movies after a career that has spanned six decades and some 170 film roles. He given us some classic films along the way. He is 91 years of age and moving a bit slowly now. And if it is to be his final screen role then The Great Escaper makes for a fitting farewell to the iconic actor.
The Great Escaper is based on the true story of Bernie Jordan, an 89-year-old WWII Navy veteran living in an aged care facility with his devoted wife Irene and dealing with a raft of medical issues and their failing health. In 2014 Bernie missed out on an opportunity to join an organised tour to France to participate in the 70th anniversary ceremonies of the D-Day landings which were going to be attended by both Queen Elizabeth and President Obama. Instead, with the tacit agreement of Irene, he does an early morning runner from the facility and makes his way to France to join in the festivities.
During his travels Bernie also forms a friendship with Arthur (John Standing, who appeared opposite Caine in the 1975 WWII actioner The Eagle Has Landed), a fellow veteran on a pilgrimage to the D-Day commemoration, who is dealing with his own memories and guilt and regrets. The pair visit a cemetery and also revisit wartime memories. He also offers some sage advice to damaged young vet Scott (Victor Oshin) who is clearly suffering the effects of PTSD.
Bernie’s story turned him into something of a reluctant media celebrity as he made international headlines. This feel good and gently paced comedy/drama retells the story but it does work in a potent message about the futility of war and the waste of young lives which contains a bit of bite. As written by William Ivory (Made In Degenham, etc) The Great Escaper avoids undue sentimentality even as it deals with themes of grief, loss, closure and aging, which add a touch of grit to the otherwise uplifting material.
The film is directed in light fashion by actor turned director Oliver Parker (An Ideal Husband, etc) who imbues the material with a reflective tone that is not too maudlin or melancholy. Parker moves seamlessly between the two narrative strands – one following Bernie’s journey and the other dealing with Irene back in the nursing home. The Great Escaper is also something of a love story as it explores the depth of the relationship between Bernie and Irene, and while a series of brief flashbacks trace the beginning of their sixty-year relationship these scenes lack any real sense of energy and warmth.
There are also a few flashbacks to the D-Day landings themselves when a younger Bernie (played by Will Fletcher, from The Road Dance, etc) tries to calm Douglas (Elliot Norman) a nervous young soldier as bullets ricochet around their landing craft. But Saving Private Ryan these scenes are not.
The film boasts some nice cinematography from Christopher Ross (Cats, etc), who suffuses the WWII sequences with a bluish hue.
Despite moving a lot slower these days, Caine still has a likeable, mischievous presence and breathes life into Bernie. He brings his usual charm to his touching performance despite his obvious frailties. Caine and Jackson previously appeared together fifty years earlier in The Romantic Englishwoman and they effortlessly establish a natural and easygoing chemistry. Jackson makes for a sympathetic Irene and her performance taps into her obvious frailties to add colour to her character. But she still suffuses her Irene with a snarky humour. Danielle Vitalis brings warmth and empathy to her role as the sympathetic Adele, a nurse at the facility. Standing, who was apparently approached by Caine himself to play the role, lends gravitas to his performance.
The Great Escaper is another of those films that celebrate the feisty spirit of senior citizens. It also shares a number of similarities with the 2023 film The Last Rifleman which starred Pierce Brosnan and was itself inspired by Bernie’s story.
★★★
