Plot: What’s it about?
Steve McQueen is fantastic in the title role of this biographical movie about one man’s struggle to escape French justice. Papillon is a petty thief, framed for murder, and finds himself sentenced to life imprisonment in a prison in French Guyana. His strong will and determination to be free of these unjust chains, drives him to attempt escape after escape. Does he make it? Long periods in solitary do nothing to reduce his character. He leaves the authorities no choice but to send him to Devils Island, a place from where there is no escape except to the cruel surrounding ocean.
We follow Papillon through the years and we can do nothing but admire the man for never losing sight of who is he and where he wants to be. McQueen has never been better and there is strong support from Dustin Hoffman has a fellow prisoner whom Papillon befriends. The film is two and a half hours but they fly by, which is more than can be said for Papillon’s sentence. We WANT him to succeed and as the credits roll you will be left with a hopeful smile on your face.
Video: How does it look?
Great, this classic has seen many incarnations, but this one is by far the best. The anamorphic 2.35:1 picture looks the best it ever has. Note that I didn’t say the best picture. There is some slight shimmering, but otherwise the presentation looks just dandy. A great treat for such a great film.
Audio: How does it sound?
Another film “remastered” in Dolby Digital 5.1, this is basically a really good mono track with some surround effects scattered about. I’m not saying that when the surrounds are active, they don’t sound good-they do, but keep it pure.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You get a trailer and a behind the scenes documetary (which I call a featurette, either will do) about the real Papillion. There is some error here, as it is 16:9 enhanced, but it doesn’t fit nicely onto your TV screen. Oh well, a small price to pay. For around $20 you can own one of the greatest movies of all time. Why wait?
