Based on a true story of Bernard Jordan, whose life was portrayed by Michael Caine in the Great Escaper. In this story the rifleman is called Artie Crawford, played by Pearce Brosnan, 007 himself.
The pace is slow and seems to get slower as the film goes on. Pearce is in his 70's so has to be aged to make him appear 20 years older, which takes some doing. He's very emotional throughout the film, constantly on the verge of tears and isn't in the best of health, having a couple of health scares on his journey to France. He's plagued by guilt over something he's done in the past regarding his best friend's girl.
The film makers take some liberties with the story which deviate from true life, specifically around his wife and her death before he departs for Normandy. Having seen the Great Escaper, I found myself comparing the two films and these little differences were annoying. I found The Great Escaper the better film by far.
Because Artie was so emotional, he was constantly moaning and it made it difficult to empathise with him, and he mumbled a lot. In retrospect, it would have been better to get a 90 year old to play the role.
The film was made to invoke and rely on emotion and sentiment rather than substance.
The pace is slow and seems to get slower as the film goes on. Pearce is in his 70's so has to be aged to make him appear 20 years older, which takes some doing. He's very emotional throughout the film, constantly on the verge of tears and isn't in the best of health, having a couple of health scares on his journey to France. He's plagued by guilt over something he's done in the past regarding his best friend's girl.
The film makers take some liberties with the story which deviate from true life, specifically around his wife and her death before he departs for Normandy. Having seen the Great Escaper, I found myself comparing the two films and these little differences were annoying. I found The Great Escaper the better film by far.
Because Artie was so emotional, he was constantly moaning and it made it difficult to empathise with him, and he mumbled a lot. In retrospect, it would have been better to get a 90 year old to play the role.
The film was made to invoke and rely on emotion and sentiment rather than substance.