The Great Escaper

★★★

.5

starring: michael caine, glenda jackson, john standing, and danielle vitalis

REVIEWER: lyall carter

In the summer of 2014, a World War II veteran sneaks out of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

At the ripe old age of 90, The Great Escaper is reportedly screen legend Michael Caine’s final film after a storied career starring in such classics as The Italian Job, Alfie, and The Man Who Would Be King among many others. Existing in the cinematic world in more recent years in smaller roles in Nolan’s blockbusters, this is a more than fitting farewell to such a screen icon. While it has the occasional narrative wobble, The Great Escaper is a touching film exploring life long love and loss and the perfect swan song for Michael Caine.

In the summer of 2014, Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) made global headlines. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.

It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson).

Somehow we’re led to believe that the narrative crux of The Great Escaper is Bernard’s escape to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and that it will possibly be filled with hilarious and heartwarming mishaps and high jinks along the way.

But the journey there and back is fairly straightforward, with Bernard even being offered free accommodation in France to boot. The film then straddles two narrative themes: Bernard and Rene’s lifelong love and the utter horror of war.

And this is where, narratively, The Great Escaper gets a little wobbly. At times it feels as though those two themes are in competition with one another and in doing so the theme exploring the horrors of war finds itself in second place because of it.

But at the center of it all, The Great Escaper is a truly heartwarming tale as we witness the extraordinary ordinariness of Bernard and Rene's lives together. Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson have charming chemistry together with you truly believing that they had been married for decades.

While it has the occasional narrative wobble, The Great Escaper is a touching film exploring life long love and loss and the perfect swan song for Michael Caine.