The Great Escape (1963)
Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 3 July 1963 |
| Genre | Adventure, Drama, War |
| Director | John Sturges |
| Starring | Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough |
| Runtime | 173 min |
| Rated | NR |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.3/10 · Metacritic 86/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 94% · TMDB users 7.9/10 |
| Budget | $4 million |
| Box office | $12 million worldwide |
Where to watch The Great Escape
The Great Escape is streaming on Prime Video ($13.98 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Prime Video is $13.98 at list price.
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You can rent The Great Escape on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Plex. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
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What kind of watch this is
John Sturges directs a 173-minute war drama where the real antagonist is not the enemy but the sheer boredom of survival. The hook is simple: build something so ambitious that failure feels like a personal insult. Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough play men who view a prison wall as a challenge rather than a barrier. It is a study in stubbornness, proving that a fence is just a suggestion.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes holds a 94% approval rating as of January 2026, while Metacritic scores it 86 out of 100 as of August 2025. The numbers suggest a consensus, but the early reviews were messier. Bosley Crowther called it a "strictly mechanical adventure with make-believe men." Leslie Halliwell found it a "pretty good but overlong POW adventure." Time magazine called it "simply great escapism" and praised the "accurate casting" and "swift screenplay." The film survived its first critics.
How it did with audiences
The Great Escape cost $4 million and took in $12 million worldwide. That margin is decent, but the note claims it was one of the highest-grossing films of 1963. That is a bold assertion for a movie about running, but history often rewrites the ledger. On TMDB, users rate it 7.9 out of 10.
What came next for the cast
Steve McQueen arrived with The Blob and The Magnificent Seven, then left behind Bullitt and Papillon. James Garner was in The Children’s Hour, later taking on Space Cowboys and The Notebook. Richard Attenborough came from A Matter of Life and Death, eventually directing or acting in Jurassic Park and Elizabeth. The credits list what came next. They cannot prove the prison break caused the shift.
Where it left its mark
The RAF has kept the memory alive. On the 70th anniversary of the actual escape, 50 serving personnel carried photographs of the men who were shot. They staged a commemoration to honor the real event. Five years later, on the 75th anniversary, the service held another gathering. Dan Snow hosted a screening at London's Eventim Hammersmith Apollo. The film was simulcast to other cinemas across the UK.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Great Escape.
Read more: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Sources
- The Great Escape on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q110354 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Great Escape (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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