Directed by Oliver Parker
Starring Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, John Standing, and Danielle Vitalis

One soldier who will never fail to answer the call of duty. This is a memorable line spoken later in The Great Escaper that doubles as a perfect Segway to delving straight into its plot.

Based on a true story that made national news in 2014, Bernard “Bernie” Jordan (Michael Caine) casually leaves the care facility he resides at with wife Irene (Glenda Jackson) and sets off on his own without permission for the beaches at Normandy, France, to commemorate fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th Anniversary. It’s an occasion very close to Bernie’s heart given he is a WWII Royal Navy veteran whose memories from his time in service to his country are still quite vivid, as the film’s semi-regular flashbacks show. Closer to our hearts perhaps is the fact The Great Escaper is acting great Michael Caine’s final film, as well as being the last movie of his co-star, Glenda Jackson.

Playfully deriving its title from the 1963 classic film The Great Escape (enter shameful shocking confession – I am yet to see The Great Escape but promise that will change in 2024!), it’s fair to say the security protocols at the nursing home Bernie and Irene reside are hardly a match for those at Alcatraz (now that – 1979s Escape from Alcatraz – I have seen, thanks to my Clint Eastwood-enthusiast father). Though nowhere near being labelled a classic itself, The Great Escaper is everything it ought to be, no more and no less, and is an emotionally satisfying departure from acting for Michael Caine. He’s given plenty to work with thanks to a reasonably layered screenplay. A friendship he makes with a former RAF pilot (played by Caine’s The Eagle Has Landed co-star, John Standing) on the way to Normandy adds substance and depth to both the story and Caine’s character. Oh, and no, I have not seen The Eagle Has Landed either and don’t necessarily intend to. Those aforementioned flashbacks don’t seem to be much more than time-fillers throughout but do make themselves relevant by the end. Some support and blunt words of wisdom given to a young soldier is less effective, but what is capable of tugging at the heartstrings is a past truth Bernie has kept privy over past decades he finally confronts. 

The Great Escaper is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from March 7th.

Moviedoc thanks Transmission and Tracey Mair Publicity for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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