Pop Culture Movies and More: Von Ryan's Express (1965)

Ryan, an American prisoner of war, leads his fellow prisoners on a dangerous escape from the Germans in Italy. Having seemingly made errors of judgement, Ryan has to win the support of the mainly British soldiers he is commanding. After being transported from the camp due to a failed escape attempt, they commandeer a train and head towards the Swiss border. As the Italian war effort collapses, the escapees are aided by their former captors, but when the Germans catch on, they set out to halt the escape with an armoured train and aerial attack. This is a fantastic World War II film and an action-packed story that I thoroughly enjoyed. There are some great executed plans, like the hijacking of the train to disguising as soldiers to fool the Nazis. They even manage to evade the Gestapo at the checkpoints, which entailed some suspenseful scenes as they try to deceive the enemy. There are times when you wonder if they are going to get caught out and it has you watching on the edge of your seat as you hope they can succeed. One of my favourite scenes is when the Gestapo question the escapees after they notice one of them wearing an American watch. They make out he got it as a reward for shooting down an American plane, however, when they start following them they think they are done for. Luckily, it was only because he wanted to bargain for the watch, but when only one of them speaks German it leads them into a sticky situation. There is some phenomenal acting in this film, especially some surprisingly outstanding work from the lead, Frank Sinatra. Despite being a singer and not an actor, this has to be one of his best films that I have seen. The whole rest of the cast is just as good, it was also fun seeing Edward Mulhare who has been in numerous other favourite movies and shows of mine. From a main role in the iconic show Knight Rider (TV Series 1982-1986) to a one-time appearance in Battlestar Galactica (TV Series 1978-1979), he has shown up in many shows I adore. All the scenes on the train are nothing short of incredible. I love trains in movies but most especially when put in these kind of scenarios, much like in westerns when they hijack them in robberies. The train takeover was extremely stressful as they slowly replaced the Nazi soldiers sitting on top of the moving vehicle. You feel so paranoid that one will turn around and it all be over. The sequence was such a good use of suspense, that was present throughout the whole film, which upped the tension and had me so engaged in every scene, not knowing where it might go or what could happen. The whole climax is just filled with gun fights, aerial bombardments and huge explosions. It is a real fight for survival on the border of freedom. There is a very shocking ending as well that is very tragic. I was left quite surprised as it came out of nowhere and I am sure I was not alone. If you haven't seen this film or the ending and don't want spoilers then skip past the red. *Spoilers* As the train is able to start moving again to freedom, the remaining soldiers start climbing aboard with Ryan running after the train. Unfortunately, he is being followed by Nazi soldiers who gun him down before he is able to make it aboard. It is such a heartbreaking moment, but most especially when you realise he saved all of those men after constantly being told even if one man gets out, it would be a victory. He saved everyone at the cost of his life. Von Ryan's Express is just an excellent film and a favourite of mine, especially in terms of a war film. It has a lot to offer with superb acting, prison escapes, high-stakes action, infiltration sequences whilst outsmarting the enemy, train takeovers and a solid story. Overall, this underrated movie is a thrilling adventure that more people should try and see. There is heaps of tension layered throughout as our band of heroes attempt the impossible in this exciting escape. So grab those soldier uniforms, hijack a train and charge into the cult classic that is Von Ryan's Express.

Runtime: 1h 57m