Some war movies attempt to make a larger statement about the horrors of combat and the futility of military killing, while others try to paint a more realistic picture and remain rooted in historical accuracy. But my favourite is simply the ‘fun’ war movie, an action/adventure movie that uses real-life events as a mere backdrop. Of this type of war movie, Von Ryan’s Express may rank among the finest, and is easily among the most entertaining. With a strong sense of pacing and a handful of stellar acting performances, this one acquits itself extremely well and the result is an exciting and engrossing piece of moviemaking.
Frank Sinatra (Ocean’s Eleven, Guys and Dolls) stars as U.S. fighter pilot Col. Joseph Ryan, who is shot down in Italy and is placed in a Prisoner of War camp. The camp is comprised almost entirely of British soldiers, but Ryan is the ranking officer… which leads to more than a few tense scrapes with the reluctant British Major Fincham (Trevor Howard of Gandhi and Time After Time, in a supporting role that illustrates why the late actor is so fondly-remembered). With the Second World War quickly coming to an end, the POWs find themselves on the run. Ryan and Fincham, along with a misplaced Italian Lieutenant (Sergio Fantoni of The Belly of An Architect, delivering a solid turn), must now take it upon themselves to re-locate the 400-odd prisoners. James Brolin also shows up in one of his early roles, as one of the more outspoken prison escapees.
While onboard a train headed for a German concentration camp, Ryan devises a brilliant escape. Ryan navigates his compatriots through a series of hair-raising escapes and near-misses, many of which require some brute force while others call for a more intellectual touch. Edward Mulhare (of television’s Knight Rider) delivers a fantastic performance as the camp chaplain, and is the only escapee who speaks enough German to pass as a Nazi. The best sequences in the film consist of several intense masquerades.
If you’re looking for an old-fashioned war movie that is a fantastic piece of escapism, you could do a heck of a lot worse than Von Ryan’s Express. It’s also a film that’s notable for some particularly strong special effects, when you consider is it was made in 1965. With a roster full of solid actors, a tight script by Wendell Mayes and Joseph Landon (based on the novel by David Westheimer), and the deft directorial hand of Mark Robson (Earthquake, Valley of the Dolls), this is a fast-paced and damn entertaining adventure movie.
